Player 2's Podcasts

The Player 2 PixelCast 182

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0000

He’s back! After traveling to and from from Heaven knows where, Hewso has reappeared in front of a microphone, ready to record… whatever silly topic we decide to have him record, I guess. That travelling everywhere thing has been hitting Tim as well, though, and so for this episode we’ve decided to focus in a bit on what our favourite games for different travel situations are, and why we think they work so well in said circumstance. Oh, and Rob’s here, too. Just in case you were scared that the Atari Lynx might get neglected (which, to be fair, it kind of does).

Of course, we also find some new games (and gadgets) to talk about. What are they? That’s a bit of a mystery as we’re currently on a bit of a lonely island between big releases, so you’ll have to listen to find out (or maybe just scroll down the show notes a bit)!

Games: Cleared Hot, Morbid Metal, PX Play

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: Reunion by about:blank

Cast

Matt Hewson

The Player 2 PixelCast 181

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Ever feel like everything is turning to garbage? Funny thing, that... so do we! But just how bad is said garbage? Is it at least neatly sorted into different bins? Maybe scattered around on the floor a bit? Or is is all just on fire releasing obnoxious fumes over unreasonable distances? That's kind of what we went into this episode hoping to find out. Well, from the perspective of gaming as we know it at least. The entire situation of the world as we know it may perhaps be just a bit too bleak to look at.

So it falls to Tim and Rob to look at the state of gaming right now, what with an absolute avalanche of firings, gaming media getting shuttered and technological developments that could be promising tending to decide to go down the path of greater evil whenever given a chance. Is there any light to be found? Time to see if we can dig upwards.

Games: Blaze of Storm, Screamer

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: Sweet Summer Breeze by MkVaff

Cast

The Player 2 PixelCast 180

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Really, if things were more logical and less tied to the soft power of American and British pop-cultural influence, if Australia were to only succumb to Halloween in a sensible way then it is around about now that we should be eyeing the finest-looking pumpkins. At least Capcom is on our side, pretty reliably releasing new Resident Evil games in Q1 when its own Northern Hemisphere is heading into spring, but Australia is very much beginning to sniff the relief that is autumn.

And so it is that we bring horror back into our topic rotation for the first time in a couple of years. Naturally, this means that Jason is on board to help Tim along. Also, Jenn is hear, although she doesn’t talk quite as much as might be expected on account of slobbering over images of Leon Kennedy opening cupboards.

Games: Skyrim with a silly number of mods, Mewgenics, Hell is Us

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: Whiterun by mellogear

Cast

Jason Hawkins

Jenn Christodoulou

The Player 2 PixelCast 179

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Fun fact: while coffee itself is in fact a dehydrating, the amount of water added to your standard cut means that any diuretic effect is rendered basically meaningless. You’re still getting hydration from that sweet, sweet water. Sadly, the same doesn’t seem to apply to beer. Not that this is an episode about beer. Or coffee, sadly.

Rather, this one is about that elixir of life itself: water. While getting baseline pretty water now seems pretty much to be a solved problem, that wasn’t always the case, and some examples of fluid simulation in games stand out as more impressive as others. So, grab a cut of nice, hydrating coffee and join Tim and Rob as they try to decide if anything is yet to surpass the heavy rain effect on that tanker opening to Metal Gear Solid 2.

Games: Super Woden: Rally Edge, Silent Hill 2 Remake

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: Broken Reflection by Chromatic Apparatus, Flavio Teles

Cast

The Player 2 PixelCast 178

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Well, the year is underway and honestly, with January now behind us, it feels like a rollocking start. Best guess is it's because everyone wants to get the eff-train out of the way of the splash that Grand Theft Auto is going to make when it lands towards the end of the year, so now things are kind of a little bit in reverse. That did lead us to think, though: how might the gaming landscape look or be different if certain key titles throughout its short history were either plucked from existence, or simply failed to catch fire the way that they did?

Tim is back in charge here, and he's managed to drag Hewso along for the ride. Hendo & Hewso it is then, like some crappy Murdoch FM radio show from the '90s, only with fewer airhorn sound effects and way less transphobia. And also more video games. Way more video games.

Games: Disciples: Domination, Romeo is a Dead Man

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: Freestyle Dojo by MkVaff

Cast

Matt Hewson

The Player 2 PixelCast 177

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Sometimes, sh*t happens. You go to turn on your PC, only to find that Microsoft borked a Windows 11 update so bad that it won't even boot up. You go to turn on your trusty RoG Ally, only to find that Microsoft borked a Windows 11 security update so bad that now it seems to view loading up games as the enemy. You go to record a podcast, only to... well, this one may not be entirely Microsoft's fault, but it would have been nice had the levels been more even and the uploading process less of a pain.

Still, we're releasing what we have. And why wouldn't we? Hewso is in charge or shepherding the crew through what will surely, in time, turn out to be some truly stupid predictions about the future. Jump in!

Games: Tainted Grail, Code Vein II, Star Wars Outlaws

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Cast

Matthew Hewson

Shaun Nicholls

Stephen del Prado

The Player 2 PixelCast 170

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Well, that didn't take long. We thought we could at least get into the first recording of January of a new year before the world leveled up being an absolute disaster, but here we are. Happy new year, we guess? At least the one that let us, while also a disaster in its own right, had some pretty good games released? Naturally, this being the first episode of the year, those present use this as a chance to look back at the games they most enjoyed in the previous year, 2025 in this case.

The people in question would be Tim and Rob. Everybody else just hates videogames now. Which three games do our two hosts shout out? Are they entirely predictable? To answer those questions, one may have to go and read out GotY posts. listen to a whole bunch of old episodes... or maybe just tune in to this one? Yeah, that works, too.

Games: Earthion, Metroid Prime 4, Saints Row 4

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: Zanarkand String Quartet by GrayFox1217

Cast

The Player 2 PixelCast 175 – Sadistic Santa Rides Again

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0000

While the world runs round with Christmas Cheer

Player2’s writers cower in fear.

For these brave souls, there’s no joy in the festive season

And those feelings they have, well, they have good reason

They have been beaten, broken, scarred before

And still they are asked to dig in once more

You see, to them Christmas means just one thing

A gift to review that only one man could bring

This creature goes by many, many names

And he takes pleasure in shitty shitty games

So sit back, relax and enjoy this new cast

As our crew of writers would rather be glassed

Because they are stuck with the worst of the worst to play

Sadistic Santa is here to make sure he has ruined their day.

That’s right, folks, it is time once again to join the crew for their annual descent into the shittiest games on offer. Join us for the Christmas fun as Matt plays the role of Santa and brings Jess, Jenn, Shaun, Jason and Stephen along for some of the cheapest and most excruciating titles in Steam’s catalogue.

While we have you, have a very merry Christmas and some well-deserved time to take care of yourself. We will catch you in the new year for more episodes of The Player 2 PixelCast.

Cast

Jenn Christodoulou

Jason Hawkins

The Player 2 PixelCast 174

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Bells are ringing, snow is… definitely not falling, and something is in the air. It may be magic; it may also be cannabis. Honestly, who can say? In any case, there is no need to get high just yet, though, as Santa’s evil twin is still a couple of weeks away from terrorizing the Player 2 offices* and today instead is about recalling video game gifts that we got and actually appreciated. Mostly this means games that were actually at least pretty good, but we were very young for some of them so who can say for absolute certain?

This one is headed by Tim, in what he sincerely hopes will be his last cast of the year seeing as he knows what is coming. He’s also joined by the likes of Rob, Shaun and special guest Nathan Cocks (who Tim accidently calls Hewso at least once, but we can blame that on his Tropoco-evoking social media handle) for this chat about games old and new. Or new and old. The order gets shaken up a bit.

Games: Sektori, Strange Jigsaws, UNSIGHTED

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: Destined for Greatness by Geoffrey Taucer, prophetik music

Cast

The Player 2 PixelCast 173

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0000

A nagging voice on my shoulder says that we may have said a thing or two on this episode that been proven to be extremely dumb since recording. What, exactly? Well, we could tell you but either, a.) we want to create suspense to make you listen to the show, or b.) with travel commitments complicating our usual schedule, this one was recorded over a fortnight ago now and we honestly can’t remember exactly.

In any case, you can expect Hewso to wrangle the likes of Rob, Shaun and Tim through the waters and behind the convenient pieces of cover that make up this look at all of the action games that we got a decade or more ago. What the heck happened to all of those?

Games: Death by Scrolling, Deep Rock Galactis: Survivors, Posessor(s)

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Break Music: probably something that I should look up again…

Cast

The Player 2 PixelCast 172

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Back to the regular format! PAX is done, but the events certainly aren’t over for the year, and so for this particular episode we’ve decided to whip out our crystal balls and peer just a little bit into the future by trying to guess at now exactly the ultimate game of the year, so much as the short list that will inevitably be coming out of The Game Awards soon. It proved to be a pretty fun exercise, one where we occasionally had to put our own preferences aside and instead try and get into the headspace of the kind of voting that is going to go on here. We ended up with at least three titles we felt good about, but filling out the final list did get a little wobblier.

The people in question talking about this nonsense? That’d be Tim back in charge, with Rob and Shaun providing support. Oh, and they have of course been playing games, too. Recent games, even. Well, except for Tim, who is using new hardware to turn the clock back to 2023. What a doofus.

Games: Wreckreation, Battlefield 6, Alan Wake 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Pachebel’s Ganon by djpretzel

Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson Shaun Nicholls

The Player 2 PixelCast 171

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 05:00:00 -0000

It has been and gone, the epic weekend of games, pop culture, tabletops and... well, beer. That's right, PAX AUS has once again passed us for another year. Fret not, dear listener, because the Editorial team of Matt, Jess, and Paul (minus Stephen because apparently trekking around Japan is more important than games) get together in a small apartment near the scene to talk about all the things they saw, heard and, sadly, smelled during PAX AUS 2025. Also, as a side note, folks, recording with minimal equipment on this one, so please excuse the audio quality.

Cast Matt Hewson Jess Zammit Paul James

The Player 2 PixelCast 170

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Somehow, some way, we managed to record a fairly short episode! What discipline! What focus! We jest, of course. It’s short because we had a whole bunch of life stuff making it difficult to record at all, and so we eschewed the usual back-end topic in favor of just a quick chat about stuff that we’ve been playing recently. ‘We’ in this case being Rob, Tim and Sarah. Again! Madness! This is a bit of an oddball episode that probably only hits on one of the games you might expect. But, hey – we’ve been playing what we’ve been playing. And you can, too! Especially considering at least one of the games mentioned is completely free.

Games: Messenger, Pac-Man World: Re-Pac, Hades 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Not this week by Nobody

Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson Sarah Ellen

The Player 2 PixelCast 169

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Nice! There, we made the joke. In fact, we made it just before recording started in earnest. Is it a bad look? Maybe. That would be unfortunate, though, considering that this episode is somewhat superficially about things that look nice. Specifically, which consoles do we feel look good say there beside or below the TV... or wherever you happen to keep them. We compile a top 10 (or was it 11?) list that definitely wasn't topped by the PS5.

As for who the 'we' is, in this case Tim is joined by Rob and Sarah. It's a nice mix of some fresher voices, as well as a selection of games in the first half that could perhaps use a little more attention.

Games: Kabuto Park, Formula Legends, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Sonic the Chemist by Neon X

Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson Sarah Ellen

The Player 2 PixelCast 168

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0000

We did it, we managed to make a nice, svelte podcast that comes in at (just) under an hour! All it took was to, err… strip things down to a two man show. Those two being mainstays Hewso and Tim (or Hewso & Hendo, if we’re going for a commercial FM breakfast radio tone), and they take advantage of their specific preferences and circumstances to focus this one around the current state of PC gaming, an evergreen topic that once can circle back around to every few years.

In this case, though, it’s a simple case of PC gaming being Hewso’s bread-and-butter since grade school, and Tim finally facing reality that me may need to replace his very nearly 12(!) year old rig within the coming months. For now though, it still can play some games, Silksong among them! Not that it matters; he went and got the Switch 2 version anyway.

Games: Chip ‘n Clawz vs. the Brainioids, Hollow Knight: Silksong Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Neonature by nervous_testpilot

Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson

The Player 2 PixelCast 167

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Jet lag is one hell of a thing. It can do shit like let you fall asleep the moment you go to bed, but then wake up three hours later and find yourself unable to get back to sleep for the rest of the night. With that in mind, welcome to the sleepy PixelCast! Tim is back from Europe, where he mostly ate cheese and drank beer in place of sticking his nose in Gamescom, which is maybe a mite inconvenient seeing as this episode is about the huge German games show.

Well, in part, at least. With Rob and Hewso on site to help guide things, this episode also gives wat to talk about the games we're looking forward to in what remains of this year. It turns out that this generation is finally pumping, and there's quite a bit to be excited for before Christmas comes. Also, we talked about stuff we were playing, and somehow, we have a full slate of 2D games, right here in the 2020s!

Games: Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Earthion, Spiritfarer Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Lonely Lover by WillRock

The Player 2 PixelCast 166

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0000

This year just keeps on trucking along. A whole new console launched, and we are starting to look forward towards an absolute deluge of, honestly, mostly excellent-looking games. We may need them, though, as that there new console didn't really come out with very much new that it can truly call its own. This kind of brings us to this episode's topic - the first game we bought for each of our respective systems.

With pretty much the whole Player 2 crew now being adults for longer than they would like to admit (at least twice over, in most cases), it turns out that this little topic gave us a lot to talk about. We did start way back with 8-bit consoles and pre-Windows PC games, after all...

Games: THPS 3+4, Death Stranding 2, Kunitsu-Gami Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Secrets of Sosetsuken by Juan Medrano

Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Shaun Nicholls

The Player 2 PixelCast 165

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Listener, be warned! This here is a spoiler cast! With 2025 now having comfortable entered its latter half, we're looking back at a real frontrunner for GotY from the earlier end of the year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. With several months having now passed since its release, we figured that it was now safe enough to have a full-throated, in-depth conversation about the entire game.

Who is we, exactly? Well, in this case, usual suspects Tim and Matt show up, but they're joined by our original review (and absolute fanatic) of the game, in the form of Jenn Christodoulou. They do keep the first half of things mostly tame and safe enough for all but the hyper-sensitive to spoilers, but as for the other half of the (tonally dissonant) music break? Well, you've been warned.

Games: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Object of Desire by Ninja Sex Party Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Jenn Christodoulou

The Player 2 PixelCast 164

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Remember what hope feels like? Yeah, it seems pretty distant to us, too. Frankly, maybe some of you were only just born the last time we truly felt it. But, believe it or not, there was a time when videogames as an industry (yes, even the then fresh-faced XBox brand) felt exciting and bubbly with potential! When we were sliding further into 3D game design, each year brought new landmarks, and experimentation was still rife even from the bigger publishers. Tim, Rob and Matt use this episode to talk about that era, and notably the promise that the very first XBox seemed to hold. As well as some of the fears, actually, which turned out to mostly not be what we should have been concerned about.

Games: Cyberpulse, Against the Storm, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Butterfly Spy by GCJ

The Player 2 PixelCast 163

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

This year just keeps on powering on. Assassin's Creed, Blue Prince, Avowed, Doom, Expedition 33... all of that is now on the rear-view mirror as we somehow rocket towards the second half of 2025. Despite this episode being recorded a full week ahead of the typical schedule, we're still able to bring you hands-on talk of Death Stranding 2 and Borderlands 4!

Keeping things new and shiny, we take the remaining time this episode to talk about what we're most excited about of the yet-to-comes for this episode. Honestly, it's looking at least fairly promising, even with a huge GTA-sized crater in the middle of it all.

Games: Death Stranding 2, Borderlands 4, Super Mario Odyssey Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Title/Menu by Metroid Metal

Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Stephen del Prado

The Player 2 PixelCast 162

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Somewhere on the wind there is a whisper that a new Nintendo is out in the wild now. You'd barely guess it, though, which feels extra strange considering that it's setting new sales records already. Availability, we guess. Anyway, that's a long way of saying that the Switch 2 is out, but we don't really spend a whole lot of time talking about it.

Instead, we talk about... some games on other platforms. Granted, you may be able to also play said games on Nintendo's new hardware. But then, there's also the aftermath of Summer Game Fest and the related presentations, which was both better than expected and mildly underwhelming?

Games: Tron: Catalyst, Cyberpunk 2077: The Phantom Liberty, Star Overdrive Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Saturated Media by METATRON

Cast Tim Henderson Matt Hewson Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 161

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Holy hell how are we at this point in the year already. Not only is this episode dropping on the same day as a whole new generation console release, but the focus of topic is Summer Game Fest, probably better known as Keigh3 to those old enough to forget what carrying a sandwich around in a lunchbox most days of the week was like. Gurargh! Will we anticipate things correctly? Tune in next time to find out! Perhaps as compensation, Tim and Hewso aren't exactly playing the newest of games. Or, you could argue, this may be because we recorded during the quiet before a storm. Whatever the case, we hope that you're in the mood for some games from 2020 or earlier...

Games: Rise of the Tomb Raider, Paradise Killer Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Go!Go!Style by Barry "Epoch" Topping

Cast Tim Henderson Matt Hewson

The Player 2 PixelCast 160

Thu, 22 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Oh, how the sets of ten keep on rolling by. With no surprise travel happening this time, we recorded this one on a normal timeframe and hasn't (knock on wood) missed any stories about XBoxes suddenly costing 20% more or some nonsense. Rather, we're looking back at the wow factor that shifting generations can bring. Or, at least, used to bring. It doesn't happen a whole lot these days. But just think about how closely Unreal followed Quake 2, or how big the jump from MGS to MGS2 was (and, again, how swift it was besides).

With Hewso in charge, we also talk some games, too. Mecha, generic fantasy names, and very French-Otaku RPGs, specifically. Proof, perhaps, that as cool as next level whizz-bang is, it isn't really everything. Although it would be nice if Expedition 33 would support HDR... or at least load up properly without it.

Games: Mechwarrior 5 Clans: GBFS, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blades of Fire Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Aqua Wave by Paul Hadame

Cast Tim Henderson Matt Hewson Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 159

Thu, 08 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Recorded early so that Tim could go traipsing halfway around the world, it only made sense that we focus in on the rise and rise of portable gaming. Afterall, how much big news could possibly drop if we put a show in the can a couple of weeks earlier than usual?

Quite a bit, apparently, but caught in the time vortex as well it's not like Hewso knows any better. Dude's just chillin' in the corner playing XCom 2 on his ROG Ally... Well, mostly. We still have more (and less) recent games that we've been playing, and one (or both) would really benefit from a good old-fashioned mouse.

Games: Tempest Rising, Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Slavic Roots by djpretzel

Cast Tim Henderson Matt Hewson

The Player 2 PixelCast 158

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Money-money-money, money-money-money... moooneeeey! Y'all hear that? That's the sound of everything being too damn expensive! Seriously, it's getting to the point where Tim is contemplating sending eggs to the U.S. for profit to fix what buying a PS5 Pro did to his savings. Never mind that those consoles have just gone up in price in Australia. Tim isn't in charge this time around, though. In this case, it's all Rob. Well, Rob with Renee and Tim in the guest chairs. As you might expect, they spend some time-sharing concern about the growing cost of the hobby and the kind of larger damage that this could do, if not _inevitabl_y do.

Games: Life is Strange: Double Exposure, I, Robot Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Dream of Green by Wiesty, The OC Jazz Collective

Cast Tim Henderson Rob Caporetto Renee O'flynn

The Player 2 PixelCast 157

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Ahoy! What's this? A new Nintendo console, you say? Everybody knows about it and is already talking about it, you say? Well... would it really hurt to let an additional four people into your eardrums to reflect on the floodgates of Switch 2 opening up and rambling on about what the near future for this console may bring. Unsurprisingly, this is a bit of a long one. The four people in question? Tim is in charge, with Hewso, Renee and Rob in tow. Of course, it can't all be Nintendo takes, and we've been playing some games that you could go and buy right now, too! Which games, exactly? You'll just have to listen to find out. Or... err, scroll down on the site post and check the info. We've probably put it there, too.

Games: The Darkest Files, Breakout Beyond, Assassin's Creed Shadows Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Shredding the Rainbow by Andy Gillion

Cast Renee O'flynn Tim Henderson Rob Caporetto Matt Hewson

The Player 2 PixelCast 156

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Ah! Those were the days! Nothing sucked then: games worked out of the box, everybody got along and shovelware wasn’t a thing. Or… maybe not? Surprisingly, resident retro-head Rob Caporetto heads up an episode of the PixelCast that is largely about pondering just how much rose tint we’ve all had applied to our glasses. He’s joined by Renee and Tim as they waver back and forth, occasionally falling into fondly remembered trends of their own, but this episode still comes out as a snap-to-reality kick-in-the-teeth that hopefully won’t have a dental bill attached. That shit’s expensive.

Games: Order 13, Look Outside, Another Crab’s Treasure Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Verdensrommit by a faRk

Cast Renee O’flynn Tim Henderson Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 155

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Recorded fresh on Mar10 day, the 155th Player 2 PixelCast is all about trying to whittle down a list of Switch games. Specifically, the ten games we feel that are the most quintessential to Nintendo's mega-success story. Does the crew include the games you most think should be there? Probably. Do they include every game you want to be put there? Almost certainly not.

Blame Tim, then. We put him in charge of this one. He's joined by Rob and Hewso who are far less to blame for any mistakes, but will happily take credit for any insightful deep cuts to the true wonder days of the system.

Games: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Star of Providence, Aspire: Ina's Tale Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Chill Waves by a Tune in with Chewie

The Player 2 PixelCast 154

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0000

So many things have happened this year, at once shocking and not-at-all surprising. Planes landing upside down? Yeah, that just about checks out at this point. It's a handy time to be helming a site that's primary purpose is reporting on and writing about videogames. But even that is a quagmire when it comes to predicting things.

Nonetheless, Matt, Tim and Shaun spend this episode giving it a red-hot go anyway. Will they miraculously call out the key events in gaming for 2025? Probably not. But also, who's going to bother digging this out a year from now to prove it?

Games: Elden Ring Nightreign, Monster Hunter Wilds, Returnal Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Heroes by a lot of ppl o_O

Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Shaun Nicholls

The Player 2 PixelCast 153

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0000

There has been a lot of talk over the past year or so that this current console generation (and era in gaming in general) has been somewhat disappointing. While it's true that there have been some stellar games post-pandemic, and even some all-timers (Elden Ring, Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3), it's hard to feel that the cadence of quality has dropped. Is it largely in out rose-coloured imaginations, though? One can never fully discount the possibility... Over the past few years, the PixelCast has done the odd episode looking back at classic years in gaming past, and with this episode we have reached maybe out last. So, please join Tim, Rob and Renee as they mentally return to 2017 and discover that (spoilers) it really was as good as they remembered.

Games: Utopia Must Fall, Urban Myth Dissolution Center, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Beautiful Rise by Roe TaKa

The Player 2 PixelCast 152

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0000

By a small act of mercy, our first episode for 2025 squeaked out mere hours before Nintendo caved and dropped a svelte video showing off (what we mostly already knew about) the Switch 2 at long last. It would have landed earlier, and Matt now has a second arsehole as punishment. We did mention in that episode that the leaks were very clearly legit, and that held up nicely... and has allowed the PixelCast crew to spend the second show doing the more enjoyable thing that is speculating about the stuff that hasn't been leaked. The crew in question? Well, we put Rob back in charge for this one, and Tim's here like a bad smell that has gotten into the bathroom grout, but we are also joined by one David Smith. Specifically, the one who was in charge of the Australian wing of Kotaku before that lovely little place was put out to pasture. Not the random on who wrote a review trashing one of the Tokyo Xtreme Racer games. That guy's probably a dick.

Games: Tokyo Xtreme Racer (early access), Space Marine 2, Monument Valley 3 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Smell the Steamy Flowers by Reuben Spiers, Gamer of the Winds

Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson David Smith

The Player 2 PixelCast 151

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Excuse me. What's that. Look... my clock is obfuscated by a half empty bottle of rum that I stole from Hewso when he wasn't at home. No, he doesn't know how I got in. No, he didn't even know that I was there. Yes, mentioning it here where he can see it is probably a mistake. No, I don't know what the date or time. Did you not hear me about the clock! Well... yup... it sure is 2025. Great start to the year. Let's pretend it didn't happen. At least for a bit. As such, Tim leads two fellow podcasters -- Rob and Renee -- on a trip to talk about their favourite games of 2024. And even then the rules are loose. We can look forwards from the next episode...

Games: Minishoot Adventures, VED, Mouthwashing Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: How Mant Heavens are There? by Wiesty, XPRTNovice

Cast Renee O'flynn Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson

The Player 2 PixelCast 150 – Sadistic Santa Still Walks

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0000

Sleigh bells ring, carolers sing and the village is festive and bright But deep in our heart, we know that won’t last and we are all due for a fright When the season arrives, it comes with surprise, and not a welcome one at that The old cranky bastard storms through our lives while wearing that bloody red hat He has shown up tonight, to put up a fight and end our Christmas cheer He is not here for cookies; he is not here for toys; and he is certainly not here for beer He has joined us to make sure there’s no joy anymore and everyone goes home with a frown Sadistic Santa rocks up to mess everything up and scare folks right out of town So remember to hide and keep your wishes inside so they can’t be twisted and torn Because Santa wants nothing more than to knock down your door and ruin your Christmas morn

I really, really do not understand how we manage to pull one of these off at the end of each year. Do you, dear readers and listeners, know just how bad games can actually get? Have you ever dared tip a toe into the ewaste that litters the Switch eshop, some of the more questionable games that Steam at least does a somewhat better job of burying? That Alone in the Dark release that disappointed you at the front end of the year? That thing's an absolute masterpiece when put next to the kinds of things that Sadistic Santa delivers year in, year out to the fools who keep on reappearing on this episode of the show.

Games: ... you're gonna have to listen to find out Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Cast Matthew Hewson

The Player 2 PixelCast 149

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0000

And so another year draws to a close and the PixelCast crew huddles together around their… microphones… that are plugged into computers in different cities and even countries. And, honestly, only Tim is somewhere that could be described as cold right now. He’s not alone, of course – Rob and Hewso are also present to bring the heat. Or possibly be attacked by it. Good ‘ol Aussie Christmas, hey? In any case, we’re here for one last (regular) show to chat about the games that we’ve playing, and to take a moment to realised that games that are cribbing off of mobile and TV recognition are actually… mostly kind of good these days? Gee, though, I wonder which game could possibly have inspired this.

Games: Once Alive, Ace Combat 7, Indiana Jones and The Great Videogame Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Merry Little Christmas by Dale North

Cast Matthew Hewson Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson

The Player 2 PixelCast 148

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Ever set yourself up for a BBQ only to realise that your meat isn't really all that well seasoned and... wait... I'm being told that this is, in fact, not what this episode. No, this one is about that time I was led to believe that Grand Theft Auto 3 was a revolutionary gaming experience in a truly immersive world when what it actually delivered was garbage combat that made the already uninteresting missions worse, as well as an open world that may have just been built out of cardboard boxes filled with trigger-reactive events that made no sense and a story with the odd moment of overt sexism. The only thing that could have made it much worse was that remote-control helicopter mission from Vice City. What an absolute turd of a game.

Ahem. Anyway. This episode of the PixelCast is kind of like a second half of a Hewso two-parter. Whereas last time we looked at games we liked in spite of a less-than-enthusiastic reception, this time things got flipped. This one is about popular shit that we actively loathe.

Games: Xenotilt, Two Point Museum, Ascending Inferno Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Guile's Theme Goes with Metal by Shinray

Cast Matthew Hewson Rob Caporetto Shaun Nicholls

The Player 2 PixelCast 147

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Ever liked a game that the whole rest of the world just seemed to turn its back on? Well, not to worry – we’ve got your back. Well, unless the game was Loadstar: The Legend of Tully Bodine. That game just plain sucks. But in all seriousness, this episode is about celebrating the games that we loved despite not having managed to uphold the greatest reputation in the wider world. Hewso is in charge of this one, possibly entirely because of a desire to defend the (PC release of) the Saint’s Row reboot. He’s not alone, though – Jess and Renee are along for the road, as is Tim. And, heaven knows, that guy’s taste may be completely in line with what everyone else thinks is good in some alternate timeline somewhere out there…

Games: I Am Future, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Shadow Hunter by Error 47

Cast Matthew Hewson Tim Henderson Renee O’flynn Jess Zammit

The Player 2 PixelCast 146

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0000

With PAX Australia now firmly in the rearview mirror for 2024, we thought that we might take a moment to consider what it is that actually keeps on drawing us to conventions, year in, year out. Both our panel members and the conventions themselves have changed somewhat notably over the years, and we are painfully aware that it’s not the ’90s any longer. As perhaps the only Player 2 regular to have never actually attended PAX, it makes perfect (or no) sense that Tim has been put in charge of this one. Thankfully, Steve and Rob were both there earlier this year and are on board to keep the whole thing on track.

Games: Mechwarrior 5: Clans, Sonic x Shadow Generations, 1000xResist Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Sound of Speed by OceansAndrew, Scaredsim

Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson Stephen del Prado

The Player 2 PixelCast 145

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0000

For some reason, Hewso thought it might be a good idea to invite a bunch of freaks and weirdos into his hotel room while PAX was going on in Melbourne. Fine choice of city; questionable choice of behaviour. In any case, this is an unusual episode in the sense that it doesn’t follow the exact format of 90% of our shows, but it’s also usual in the sense that Matt basically always does something like this around this time of the year. The only real difference is that there wasn’t anywhere on the show floor itself to do it this year. Is that meaningful? You tell me. You’re not the one paying for any holes in Matt’s wall…

Games: ** Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: **Walk on Water by Housethegrate

Cast Matt Hewson Jess Zammit Stephen del Prado

The Player 2 PixelCast 144

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0000

With the way things are going in the world, getting stuck on a deserted tropical island or some unmapped alpine mountain my almost seem desirable. It’d probably hurt your gaming a bit, though. That said, imagination can be a fun thing to flex, and so we set some rules to discuss our desert island top 5 titles. This proved to be a pretty fun experiment, as the crossover between our absolutely most treasured games and those we would keep access to turned out to be pretty thin. We put Shaun in charge of this one with Tim sitting in reserve. Oh, and Hewso’s back! Dude was just off travelling around Greece and Istanbul while the rest of us sat at home and slaved dai in, day out over our keyboards. Bastard.

Games: GoW: Ragnarök (PC), Neo: The World Ends with You, DBZ: Sparking! ZERO Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Full Mast by Preenus

Cast Tim Henderson Shaun Nicholls Matt Hewson

The Player 2 PixelCast 143

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Who knows, by the time this is published and you're listening to it everything that there could possibly be to know about what we'll simply call the 'Switch 2' may have been leaked and everyone has already moved on to Microsoft officially announcing some kind of XBox handheld or branded partnership with other handheld gaming PCs. It's hard to keep pace with the speed of console news right now. Which is why, perhaps, Tim, Rob and Shaun foolishly decided to try and look into the next decade instead. What will the PS6 (which has already been in the news before the dust even settled over the PS5 Pro sticker-shock) be like? Will XBox continue as we know it? What gaming trends will survive, die, and emerge? Honestly, we don't know, but it is kind of fun to guess sometimes.

Games: Star Wars: Outlaws, Dead Rising: DR, UFO 50 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Distorted Forest by Rockos

Cast Tim Henderson Shaun Nicholls Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 142

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Big fish, little fish, cardboard box! Big fish, little fish, cardboard box! Ahem. Sorry. To strain this into a truly tortured metaphor, some games are big, some are little, and for a sizable part of the 90s they mostly came in cardboard boxes. Nintendo didn't give that shit up until the Gamecube. Anyway, with the world going (rightly) nuts over Astro Bot, an apparently smaller game that has become a GotY frontrunner, we thought it might be a good time to look at the industry's weird obsession with the epic, overstuffed adventure and compare the pros and cons of huge games and more contained ones. Rob's in charge, so you can blame all the times the topic wanders down a side street on him. You shouldn't blame Renee. And you certainly shouldn't blame Tim. No, absolutely not. Not at all.

Games: Farewell North, Astro Bot, Wild Bastards Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Celestial Winds from the East by MkVaff

The Player 2 PixelCast 141

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Nein, Geoffory! Nein, nein, nein! We don’t need any more of these stage shows! Yes, your dress sneakers are lovely (and, I hope, comfortable), but it’s just been a couple of months since we last did this and we don’t always need multiple drinks after dessert. Nonetheless, the Keighly opening light extravaganza of trailers and flashing lights has successfully invaded Cologne, Germany, and with it a whole new swag-sack of announcements to unpack. Or, rather, something like a modest lunchbox, but it still got stretched out a lot. This may all sound overtly negative, but Tim, Matt and Rob did all find some things of interest to talk about and look forward too. Well, Matt and Rob did, at least. Tim was in full cranky-boy mode. Probably because he had put down FF7: Rebirth for a couple of hours to play some superhero thing instead.

Games: Age of Mythology: Retold, Castaway, Spiderman 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Baba Yetu (piano) by Modest One Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 140

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

At the beginning of this century, Shenmue was listed in the (honestly pretty corrupt) Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive videogame ever developed, with its protracted development cost sitting at around $80 million. Fast forward to the current generation, and Spiderman 2 is sitting at an eye-watering $300 million, over three times what its predecessor cost to develop. Is it any wonder, then, that some development talent is looking back towards the early-mid '00s and the trend of what we now refer to as 'Double A' games? Hewso certainly thinks that this is happening, and he's managed to drag Jess, Renee and (eventually) Tim along to discuss the apparent re-birth (or at least, re-nourishment) of this particular budget-category. Also, they talk about some other games and stuff while Tim was figuring out a flatpack bed frame, because this is a gaming podcast and all that.

Games: We Are Not Alone, Capes, Star Wars: Outlaws Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Rain in Winter by The Vodou Queen, ZackParrish, Emunator Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Renee O'Flynn Jess Zammit

The Player 2 PixelCast 139

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

After looking at the flakey ashes left by our previous episodes, people’s dreams fluttering and dissolving in the air as the literal value of their words dissipates before our very eyes, we figured we needed to shift gears and try and find something at least a little greener to focus on for this one. Where did we land, exactly? To put it very simply, we landed on the rise and rise of PC gaming.

Tim’s back in charge here, sweating his way through a Northern Hemisphere summer that he claims panelists Renee and Hewso simply can’t appreciate. Apparently they could same of the current Aussie winter, but at least a hard-working gaming PC will generate some heat on the side. Not that that really came up – rather, this one became a mixture of reminiscing and reluctantly admitting that the way many PC game things work these days is probably for the better. Well, except for the bit were we’re still waiting for something to come along and top the original Dues Ex.

Games: The First Descendant, Tavern Keeper (demo), FF7: Rebirth Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Neonature by nervous_testpilot

Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Renee O’Flynn

The Player 2 PixelCast 138

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0000

TBD

The Player 2 PixelCast 137

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0000

It's a two-man show this week. But take heart, because it's the finest two men as Tim and Hewso take to the recording chairs to ensure that the fortnightly podcast goodness remains delivered on time! Okay... so maybe only one of the finest men; it's up to you, dear listener, to decide which as they talk about games like it's the mid '00s! We're still in a bit of a slow season, so we dug into a bag of topics and came up with asking ourselves about Metroidvania games in general. What, exactly, is the appeal? Have they actually been quietly infleuncing game design since the gaming stone age? Why have they exploded over the past decade or so? All of these questions will be semi-answered in this, the 137th episode of Player 2's Pixelcast!

Games: Beyond Good & Evil, Psychonauts 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Title/Menu by Metroid Metal

Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson

The Player 2 PixelCast 136

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Hyyyyyype Traaaaaaaiiiiiiiiin! Somehow, it happened! Amid all of the disappointment and despair in the industry, we got a Summer (Winter) season of announcements and updates that actually got us a bit excited. 2025 is actually looking kind of badarse now. And that was before Metroid Prime 4 went and got shown in between the time when this episode was recorded and when this post was getting typed. Nobody but Hewso could be the captain for this one, and captain he did. Join him, Tim, Rob and Shaun as they spend way too long trying to cover everything while still somehow overlooking Gears of War. It's probably just as well that this fortnight's episode gets right to the topic from the get-go,

Games: Not today - too much goin' on! Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Edgerunner with Blazing Hair by Treyt

Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson Matt Hewson Shaun Nicholls

The Player 2 PixelCast 135

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Do you feel it? That summer heat? All of that there scorching excitement layered in sunshine as a Bubble O' Bill melts its way down the paddlepop stick offering your hand short cool reliefe that will soon become a sticky annoyance? No? Yeah... calander events should probably stop using actual seasons in their titles. Summer Game Fest only happens in summer for half of the planet. That's what this episode is about, though. Tim's got everyone in to record early so he can go off galanvanting around... Australia, actually. Guess everyone on the cast is going to be cold when you hear this. The 'everyone' in question here consists of Renee and Rob, and together they all do a likely poor job at anticipating what this season of games reveals is likely to bring us.

Games: Wizardry Remake; Cozy Caravan; Horizon Chase 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Honour, Pride, Green Tea by Tuberz McGee

The Player 2 PixelCast 134

Thu, 23 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

You see, this Shaun fellow loves himself some kung fu. Tim, on the other hand, only knows what he has seen in a handful of movies, and so thought it fit to shove him into a pond because the master types in those movies aren’t exactually… nurturing tutors. That is to say that Shaun is in charge on this one! He’s joined by Nick, Renee and Tim as they talk about a few games they’ve played over the past week or two, and then look even further back and mull over some gaming fads of past and present. At least, they eventually do, once they stop talking about rhythm games.

Games: Little Kitty, Big City; Harvest Island; Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Honour, Pride, Green Tea by Tuberz McGee

Cast Shaun Nicholls Tim Henderson Renee O’flynn Nick Getley

The Player 2 PixelCast 133

Thu, 09 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Remember how clever design decisions or visual tricks just blew your mind as a kid? Maybe you do, but in our case, these things are things that we actually only come to appreciate years after the fact. That’s what this episode of Player 2’s PixelCast is about: finally giving some due to games (and gaming-related things) that did cool or innovative things that we played back in our school days that we just kind of took for granted, actually. Tim’s in charge of this one, and he’s joined by the likes of Rob and Matt. Bring in a topic about remembering when you were are a kid and of course you’re going to attract the retro guy! Oh, and they’ve been playing some newer stuff, of course. That gets covered, too.

Games: Lunar Lander Beyond, Phantom Fury, Tears of the Kingdom Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Sound of Speed by OceansAndrew, Scaredsim

The Player 2 PixelCast 132

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

It's all about that ookie-ookie waku-waku feeling as this latest PixelCast episode brings the fresh beats! Or maybe not, but there is some talk about music. Soundtracks, specifically. This is more a jukebox kind of a thing than it is about carefully composed scores. You know, good old radio-friendly tunes. We suspect that this is because Hewso wants to talk about the music in Brutal Legend. Or maybe that sequence in Alan Wake 2. It certainly has nothing to do with Tim and Jet Set Radio. No, really - he's not in charge this time! It's Hewso! It's been a while, but he's steering the ship again. Speaking of long absences, Shaun joins them as well!

Games: Capes, Stellar Blade, Immortals of Avium Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: 4 Chords by The Axis of Awesome

Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Shaun Nicholls

The Player 2 PixelCast 131

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Remember Demo 1? First of all, if you're too young to remember Demo 1, please grow old very fast and die. Now, for those of us who are starting to find the odd white hair... remember Demo 1? Those demo discs that came with the original PlayStation seemed so special at the time - as did those cover mount discs that sold official tie-in magazines to us for several years! Then demos seemed to mostly go away and die. At least, until fairly recently. This episode sees Tim joined by a truly rounded crew, with Renee, Sarah, Ken and Rob all jumping in to talk about the re-emergence of the playable demo as a thing that a lot of bigger games seem to be getting on board with again. With this year alone having treated us to tasters of FF7 Rebirth, Unicorn Overlord, Princess Peach, Sand Land, Stellar Blade and PoP: The Lost Crown already, it seems that this more hands-on form of promotion is making a comeback!

Games: Doronko Wanko, Dragon's Dogma 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Memories of a Master by Captain Hogan

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Renee O'flynn Sarah Ellen Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 130

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Things were simpler when we recorded the first ever PixelCast. Well, aside from how we kind of started at episode three for reasons that aren't worth going into here. In any case, the Rocksteady superhero game was surprisingly excellent, Microsoft seemed to have finally figured out the console market, and indie games were real goddamn indie games. And now? Look at how messy all of that has gotten in the years that have passed since! With Ken steering a ship manned by Tim and Renee, this fortnight's PixelCast braves the waves of trying to figure out just how do we even define an indie game in the current era. It was obviously going to be a messy and complicated topic of discussion going in and yet, somehow, they still failed to properly anticipate just how messy it would ultimately get.

Games: Omega Crafter, Alone in the Dark, Helldivers 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Tomorrow's Starting by Michael Hudak

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Renee O'flynn

The Player 2 PixelCast 129

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0000

In the interest of fun things such as, um, feeling very, very old, we decided to look back at another classic year in gaming for this episode. The year in question 2007? Many of us were underway in our careers, or at least moving out of home already at that point! How the hell could this already be considered retro!? Is Mario Galaxy somehow as old today as Super Mario Land was when Galaxy released? Surely that can’t be right… … Sadly, it is, and Tim, Rob and Hewso spend this episode mulling over this grim reality while trying to cheer themselves up by simply recalling how electric the year 2007 felt for new game releases. They also talk games, or, at least, game-related media. It’s a bit of an odd duck, this episode.

Games: Last Epoch, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (kind of a game), Tetris (not actually the game) Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Gusty Garden, But it Sounds Like T-Square by WillRock, PROTO.DOME

The Player 2 PixelCast 128

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0000

We're 128! 128 bits!? Is this the episode of the Dreamcast and PS2!? Were either of those consoles truly 128 bit machines? The answer to those questions is no. Also, that answer doesn't really matter. We're here to chat RPG's today; specifically, we're supposed to be here to talk about what exactly makes a JRPG and if that genre label is even relevant today, but we kind of distracted and were probably lucky not to end up trying to answer questions like 'what even is game?'

Ken's in charge of this one, and he does his darndest to keep Tim and Renee in check. Sometimes he even succeeds! At least he kept Tim from going too heavy on the whole there is too much Sephiroth in FF7 Remake thing.

Games: Outcast: A New Beginning, Splatoon 3: Side Order, Rogue Trader Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: A Deus ex Harpa by DrakeSword

The Player 2 PixelCast 127

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0000

With the current console generation finally getting its engine properly warmed up, we couldn’t help but stand back and realise that – damn, the PS5 and Xbox Series machines are over three years old already! Last generation, following the same timeframe, the PS4 Pro was out already! So, yeah… things feel like they’re moving slowly, so we decided to look back and see if a sense of technical leaps used to be more frequent or not (spoiler: they were).

Tim’s back in charge for this one, with Ken and Rob… also playing demos on the side! Everyone was playing demos! So come one, come all, and check out our thoughts on a mix of Steam Next Fest drops, and that tiny demo of that tiny Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth thing.

Games: Blue Sky Aces, Space Trucker, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Sounds of Liberty by CarboHydroM, Scaredsim

The Player 2 PixelCast 126

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Gurgle Somehow, we're already a whole month into 2024 and, despite living in a time of timid publishers being unwilling to gamble on many new ideas, wherein both Last of Us titles have been remastered for PS5 before we've even received a whisper of any new project that Naughty Dog may be working on, there still be a bunch of old properties that a few of us are left wondering why their shambling corpses haven't been reanimated in the interest of being able to sell a thing to a pre-existing audience. Hewso is back on the cast and fully in charge here. He's even joined by three extra panelists by way of Ken, Rob and Tim. Of course, everyone had been playing the odd game here and there, so there's a good chunk of time up front dedicated to that. Or, specifically, how great those Like a Dragon (Yakuza) games can be.

Games: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Counter Strike 2, Project Wingman, GoW: Ragnarök Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Legend in the Making by Sbeast

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Matthew Hewson Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 125

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0000

A new year! A new podcast! This is a long one, too – after chewing his way through Starfield for th efinal quarter of 2023, it seems that Ken has found something that he is actually excited about in the form of a free-to-play title, of all things. Suffice to say, his enthusiasm here is actually a bit infectious! He’s not even the one steering the ship, here! That was Tim! Or, at least, that’s what he was supposed to be doing. They’re joined by Renee as well and together all three people recoil in horror at the realization that it’s 2024! Dude, 1994 wasn’t all that long ago! Who the hell is giving Donkey Kong Country permission to turn thirty? Being the first of the year, though, this episode isn’t about looking back – it’s about looking forward. And that’s what we do during the second half as the stuff that we’re excited to play as the year moves along becomes the focus.

Games: House Flipper 2, The Finals, The Cub Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Lunatic Moon by Juan Medrano, zircon

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Renee O’flynn

The Player 2 PixelCast 124 – Sadistic Santa Will. Not. Die.

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0000

The Player 2 PixelCast 124 – Sadistic Santa Will. Not. Die.

Gather round boys and girls, let me bend your ear For it is time to give you a warning, a warning you must hear When Christmas comes to your place, forget the gifts and toys For an evil presence lurks about, filled with malicious ploys You see this devil in red takes joy in crushing all your fun By swapping all your lovely gifts with things worth less than dung Instead of shiny electronic joy unwrapped on Christmas day You get a pile of broken code, a game that won’t even play So when you hear those sleigh bells ring Be sure to prepare yourself for the sting Of a visit from that cranky bloke Who sees evil as a giant joke. Ignore my warning if you dare, But know Sadistic Santa just doesn’t care He is here to crush your soul With terrible games instead of lumps of coal

What? Just because 2023 turned out to be a great year for (playing) games, did you think that Sinister Santa may have a change of heart? It doesn't matter that this was a year that saw a sequel that absolutely blew Breath of the Wild out of the water, A D&D game that took the world by storm and a quirky horror title bring an all-singing, all-dancing musical number into our hearts. There is still plenty (and we do mean plenty) of trash out there, and somebody has to spread it around so that it doesn't just grow into one insufferable pile. So, congrats to Jess, Renee, Tom and Jason for forgetting to staple their stockings shut.

Games: ... probably best left a mystery Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc

Cast Matthew Hewson Renee O'flynn Jason Hawkins Jess Zammit Tom Koch

The Player 2 PixelCast 123

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0000

Another year, another white hair added to the beard. 2023 has been a peculiar ride, a unique mountain-valley-mountain-valley landscape of ups and downs within the world of games. It may well go down as simultaneously the best year to be playing them and the worst year to be making them. This leaves us feeling a little bittersweet about celebrating what we enjoyed playing over the course of the year.

Ultimately, though, it still seemed better than trying to find games that sucked to talk about, and so Tim, Rob and Renee all plug in their mics to share for one last time this year what they've been playing over the past week or two, as well as what they consider to be their favourite games of the year. A fun part about just keeping it personal is that these things follow less of an expected format... so, uh - sorry for anyone who might be hanging out for talk of Baldur's Gate 3?

Games: Robocop: Rogue City, Meow Tower, The Artful Escape Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Anthem of Misguided Youth by Ben Briggs

The Player 2 PixelCast 122

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0000

And all at once, every news anchor and talk show host said that we're nearly at the end of 2023 and can you possibly believe it. Time is meaningless, but we're all somehow one year older and there have simply been far too many interesting games released this year for any single person to play. All of which kind of brings us nicely around to this, the one hundred and twenty-second episode of The Player 2 PixelCast.

Ken is in charge of this one, and he uses the chance to explain a part of the problem by talking about how he's almost 100 hours into Starfield, but still only halfway through the main quests. He also asks his co-pilots, Tim and Renee, about not just what they have been playing recently, but also what they simply haven't managed to find time and/or money for over the course of this year. Did we mention that a lot of good-looking stuff has been released in 2023?

Games: Go-Go Town, Metroid Prime: Remastered, Starfield Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Camrade by Diggi Dis

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Renee O'flynn

The Player 2 PixelCast 121

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0000

With Alan Wake 2 not only proving to be a much more out-there, creatively risqué outing than the 2010 game it follows on from, we decided that it was perhaps time to take a moment to express some appreciation for those moments when games get weird. Also, we spoke about horror stuff last episode, so that’s off of the table. This discussion ends up spanning a good number of games and bounces quite liberally between the bizarre being used for legitimate expression and stuff that is kind of nuts in the more simple name of whimsy and fun.

Tim is in charge again, mostly in the name of setting the structure back in order, but also a little bit in order to allow Hewso to force some terrible games on a few unfortunate P2 writers closer to Christmas. Speaking of Hewso, he’s here too, as are Ken and Rob.

Games: Like a Dragon: TMWEHN, Berserk: Recharged, Nier Replicant Remake Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Ancient Dreams by DJ Mystix, Sabivee

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Matthew Hewson Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 120

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0000

It’s getting darker, the air is cooling down and… wait. This is Australia? Well, in that case the air is getting warmer and time has fragmented into a half a billion different zones. In general, though, it’s not seasonally spooky at all, but since the Northern Hemisphere apparently gets to decide when festive things happen for the rest of us, it is nonetheless time to delve into horror games and look at what does and doesn’t work for us with them. The us in this case sees a return of Tim to the host chair, with Renee and Jason providing immediate support. Ken shows up a bit later, too. Just in time, one could so, to become a little disturbed by just how gleefully excited Jason can become about some pretty macabre stuff.

Games: Slay the Princess, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, My Little Universe Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Static Aversion by Children of the Monkey Machine, Steve Pordon

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Jason Hawkins Renee O’flynn

The Player 2 Pixelcast 119

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 10:54:26 -0000

It is that time of the year again folks, time to join the Player 2 crew on the PAX floor to talk about all of the goodies they ran across while fighting off the infamous PAX Pox. There are Bears in Space, Combat Wombats and Italian Plumbers with Elephantits, it is a veritable zoo of fun. Matt hosts this massive cast of P2 favourites including Jenn, Renee, Stephen, Matto and Jess and all of them go through the highs and lows of the annual fiesta that is PAX.

Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Land of Fayth by RoeTaKa Cast Matthew Hewson Stephen del Prado Jess Zammit Renee O'flynn Matto Phillips Jenn Christodoulou

The Player 2 PixelCast 118

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 05:45:00 -0000

This episode represents a scheme that has been a long time coming. Hewso nicks off to Italy for an overdue vacation, making sure that Tim absolutely be present for each and every episode. Then, upon his return, Ken declares to good holiday games might make a fabulous topic for the next episode! Also, Hewso can only record on a night when Tim can’t make it – effectively removing his ability to make this an episode dedicated to Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams. So, yeah, no Tim this week, but we do one better by offering up Ken, Hewso and Stephen! They have an interesting slew of games to talk about before some topic stuff that likely delves into the wild variety of powerful-but-portable devices that Hewso seems to be in possession on. And no Sega Saturns.

Games: Starfield, Cyberpunk 2077 (ver 2.0), Witchfire Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Land of Fayth by RoeTaKa

Cast Ken Lee Matthew Hewson Stephen del Prado

The Player 2 PixelCast 117

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:00:00 -0000

What a year this is turning out to be; certainly a unique one for the annals of gaming. Here we have a year that may be setting a new kind of benchmark for cross-generation viability, where things that feel truly new and shiny are still not as regular as we've been conditioned to expect, but at the same time we have seen an absolutely massive swathe of meaty, single-player experience arrive with eerie alignment. Octopath, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Baulder's Gate, Starfield... is 2023 the year of the big, epic adventure? That's the question we set out to answer on this episode. Well, it's the question that Tim and Steve set out to answer, at least. They actually arrive at an answer pretty quickly, so things turn more to focus on exactly what's up with that. Good thing they've been playing som recent releases as well.

Games: Gunbrella, Immortals of Aveum Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Strife by Pixels and Paradiddles

Cast Stephen del Prado Tim Henderson

The Player 2 PixelCast 116

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Let's get this out of the way right now: Geoff Keighly needs up his security game (but otherwise he handled the incident as well as can be expected) and Sony's streaming-only handheld thing is a bit cheaper than feared, but still seems a bit silly. There. Done. We can get to focusing on some actual games now. Afterall, it is called Gamescom, and it also just happens to be what the crew is discussing this here episode.

The crew in question is led by Ken this week, with Renee and Tim filling the extra chairs. It's a good show for games, too - not only were there plenty to talk about after the break, the the crew brought with them a weird and wacky suite of things they've been playing that may well be entirely unfamiliar to most listeners! Exciting (we hope)! Games: Black Skylands, Dinkum, Embracelet Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Incantation by djpretzel

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Renee O'flynn

The Player 2 PixelCast 115

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

We got the episode number correct this time around, which we'll put down as a pretty strong opening. This is appropriate, as Tim, Ken and Rob spent the latter half of this particular episode picking out some games that really do put their best foot forwards and talking about what it is that makes their opening moments stand out in a sea of tens of thousands of videogames. Among other things, we learn that Rob hasn't experience with the opening moments of Saints Row 3 or 4! Madness! What may seem like madness, but really isn't, is that our crew makes it to the end of the cast without so much as a mention of The Last of Us or Bioshock. Those have been discussed to death already, and it turns out that there are plenty of other examples that deserve a slither of the spotlight.

Games: Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition, Final Fantasy 16 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Orchestra is a Lie by Dummy

The Player 2 PixelCast 114

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 05:45:00 -0000

Four people! Count, 'em! Four! We've filled all of the chairs for this one and space got so tight that fighting almost broke out! We say almost, of course, because Adam actually took charge of this one and, frankly, he is kind of jacked in a way that the other three simply aren't. The other three in question would be Tim, Ken, and newcomer Renee. But Adam was put in charge, and so the fighting theme kind of continued with a topic that would meander around fighting games and what makes their varying systems click with and / or repel different players. In other words, if our episodes had names, this one would be called 'what is the best fighting game, and why is it Virtua Fighter 5?'.

Games: Wall World, Final Fantast 14, Katamari Damacy: Reroll Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Incantation by djpretzel

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson Adam Rorke Renee O'flynn

The Player 2 PixelCast 113

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Welcome, one and all, to the Tim & Ken show! A strange and wonderful even that only ever really happens... well, okay, it happens fairly regularly: a couple of times a year or so. All the same, you should consider yourself blessed, dear listener! And not just because Ken has gone back on his 'only engage with newer stuff' motto, but also because he and Tim are out here ranking all of Nintendo's biggest (and mid-sized-est) franchises so that you can know what's truly hot shit and what's mostly lukewarm. It should be noted that neither Tim nor Ken are the most ardent of Nintendo fans and also, as the opening line suggests, there's nobody around to put the foot down and keep things in check for this list that will soon become a highly-official piece of Player 2 lore and identity.

Games: Pikmin 4 (demo), Black Mesa Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Swaggin' Dragon by ToxicxEternity

Cast Ken Lee Tim Henderson

The Player 2 PixelCast 112

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 06:00:58 -0000

Remember when Nvidia revealed the 4000 series of RTX graphics cards and we all thought that the current consoles had been squashed into the ground before they have even been given a proper chance to flex their muscles? Yeah, that was a thing. And to be fair, the 4090 is an absolute monster… but that word also factors into the price and even its physical size. Maybe crypto bullshit started it, but at this point, in the year 2023, it really feels like PC gaming has been shooting itself in its foot. Like, a lot. You might almost think it’s trying to sever each individual toe. And so, the state of PC gaming is what Ken, Tim and Hewso are talking about this time around. Only one of the three has an up-to-date rig, mind, which in a way highlights a way in which PC gaming is better than it was in the 90s, but boy is he still not getting the best experience possible. The Last of Us is still torturing poor Hewso and his $4000 PC. Meanwhile, Ken is off playing less-demanding indies and Tim is parked in front of his PlayStation in the room where the AC is.

Games: Final Fantasy 16, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Blacktail Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Morning Jazz by AJ DiSpirito

The Player 2 PixelCast 111

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 06:00:12 -0000

Prepare yourselves for a podcast experience so long, so epic, so majestic that it… runs for as long as movies did back in the 1990s. You guys remember when it was normal for movies to run under two hours? No? Well, get off of my goddamn lawn! Um… what we mean to say is that this one is a little long. Not_ too_ long, but still well clear of an hour. The reason for this? Well, Tim, Rob and Hewso are here to reflect that everything that landed in the splash zone of Summer Game(s) Fest, and that, it turned out, was quite a lot of stuff. Starting with Sony’s middling showcase and going right through Ubisoft actually having stuff to show again and beyond. Oh, and games. They talk about games, too. Even some pretty big ones, this time around.

Games: Final Fantasy 16 demo, Aliens: Dark Descent, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: SeeDs of Pandora by Jorito, Chromatic Apparatus, Juan Medrano, Sirenstar

The Player 2 PixelCast 110

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Can you feel the summer heat yet? No? Well, I guess you're in Australia or some other part of the southern hemisphere, then. That makes sense, we suppose, seeing as our site is based in this world of topsy-turvy seasons. Tim's off drinking IPAs in America or something, though, so he's left this one to the editorial guys. Presumably we can trust them more than him, surely? Certainly, the recording didn't refuse to import properly and cause this one to finish a couple of minutes before it was supposed to... Hewso is in charge, of course, with Steve and Paul bringing the support and, quite frankly, ludicrous guesses? Guesses about what, you might ask? Well, we tested our luck at predicting Sony's PlayStation Showcase last time (and may be to blame for it being a bit average, as we hoped too hard for something new and cool), so we're all in on everything else this time? Make sense? No? Cool.

Games: LotR: Gollum, Lego 2K Drive, Street Fighter 6 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Raven's Dream by The Good Ice

Cast Matt Hewson Paul James Stephen del Prado

The Player 2 Pixelcast 109

Thu, 25 May 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Wow, what an incredible PlayStation showcase from Sony! Can’t believe all those amazing titles were kept secret so well! Or, possibly – how did that get so badly screwed up? Are we stuck in PS4 cross-gen purgatory for at least another year? Or, possibly… it was totally fine? Please pick your reaction and pretend that’s what this particular episode of the Player 2 PixelCast is about. As you’ve probably guessed, we recorded this one before Sony’s online event, so what you’ll be listening to is basically akin to a sealed envelope. Possibly a poorly-informed one – nobody even mentioned Snake Eater! You can blame Tim, if you like, since he insisted on being in charge again. All overlooked announcements and incorrect predictions are most certainly not the fault of either Ken or Hewso.

Games: ROG Ally, Street Fighter 6 (beta), Resident Evil 4 Remake Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Sub-Dimensions by Rexy

The Player 2 PixelCast 108

Fri, 12 May 2023 10:43:00 -0000

The year keeps chugging along, the current generation keeps chugging along, and it's starting to feel like nothing is really changing? Or does it? That's the question that Tim, Ken and Nick set out to answer during the later half of this episode and the answer may surprise you. Or, actually, it's quite possible that it really, truly won't. One way or the other, with a lack of Star Wars nuts on this fortnight's cast, the gaming landscape does feel almost eerily peaceful as the guys mull over what they've been playing. Maybe that in itself is a reflection of After Us, itself an eerie adventure on an Earth that maybe suffered the ultimate cost of late-stage Capitalism of which Tim has been able to discuss the opening moments of. Pat on the back to us, then, for getting through the May 4 period while finding something different to do.

Games: After Us, Fury Unleashed Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Some Distance by Radiowar

Cast Ken Lee Nick Getley Tim Henderson

The Player 2 PixelCast 107

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The classic crew is back! Somehow, it's been a while since Hewso, Ken and Tim have filled all of the chairs on the show. Is this one the first time so far for 2023? Quite possibly (please don't fact-check this)! We've gone and put Hewso in charge of this one. After all, he's a big weight loss celebrity now and we need all of the star-power we can get. Speaking of star power, it seems that that there Mario movie is making bank in spite said star power (or possibly because of, if you're looking at Bowser instead of Mario himself), and as such we figured it would be as good a time as any to look over the efforts of games to branch out into other media. Unsurprisingly, there be a lot of face-plants out there, but it's not all garbage if you're willing to dig a little...

Games: Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit, Everspace 2, XDefiant Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Guile's Theme Goes with Metal by Shinray

The Player 2 PixelCast 106

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0000

It's felt like an age, but we're finally starting to look at a good flow of big, (hopefully) high quality game releases in 2023. We've had some pretty stellar remakes to kick off the first quarter, and it's looking like we're only a month or two off from a series of truly original releases, or at least big sequels, we suppose. Can you believe that it's been almost seven years since the last mainline Final Fantasy? Starfield it turning out to be more than vaporware, the Switch is getting what may well prove its magnum opus, and you can absolutely bank on Spiderman 2 because Insomniac may be the last big-budget studio in existence that is well enough managed to release quality games at a decent clip. It's perhaps the remakes that are of interest to us this, episodes, though. Specifically, the time from which we came. Last year, we took a couple of episodes to look back at key years from the '90s, and this episode marks this year's first look back at key moments in the '00s. The specific year in question? 2001. And - boy howdy - there were some damn fine games released during that year. More than Tim released, with both Ken and Rob forcing him to get his Google on at points.

Games: Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2, Lunark, Yakuza 7 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Title/Menu by Metroid Metal

Cast Tim Henderson Ken Lee Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 105

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0000

For the first time in we're honestly not sure how long, neither Tim nor Matt are on this one. Come one, come all - witness the PixelCast crew run wild, free in the meadows like brilliant stallions... or feral rabbits. You listen and decide! We left Steve in charge, so you can all be blameful towards him, if you so desire. Or perhaps to Ken and / or Rob, who were also kind enough to show up. Naturally, with the gate left open and the fence in a bit of a wobbly state anyway, board games managed to creep into this one. It's all about stuff being physical, see? The crew does manage to talk about some videogames, too, though - some pretty decent ones even. Anyone up for a manly soap opera with samurai swords?

Games: Proteus, Elder Scrolls Online, Like a Dragon: Ishin! Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Eternal Tears by Dj Mystix

Cast Stephen del Prado Ken Lee Rob Caporetto

The Player 2 PixelCast 104

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0000

Good news! Nothing went wrong in post this time! Lessons have been learned about auto-recovery versus manual saving, and this episode should be clean and good to go for your ears! Tim’s back in charge, and he’s managed to drag Ken and Rob along for the ride. They’ve got a pretty decent slate of games to discuss this episode, too. Even the bad one! It feels like one disappointment per fortnight has been a bit of a theme for this year so far…

Perhaps that recurrence is thematically appropriate, though, as this is the episode where we ask the question: have roguelikes and time-loop games gotten legitimately interesting? The answer may surprise you. Or it may not. But whatever it may do, if you haven’t already, you should definitely play The Forgotten City.

Games: Uncharted Waters Origin, Akka Arrh, Eastward Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Harden the Duck Up by norg

The Player 2 PixelCast 103

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0000

We must say, after predicting that it would happen just after recording, it was very nice of Sony to offer up a State of Play just beforehand instead. This was always going to be the PlayStation episode, following on from out XBox and Switch ones, so having something direct and on hand to talk about was somewhat appreciated. We say somewhat because, well... it becomes apparent in this episode that Sony's first offering for the year left us feeling a little underwhelmed. And just who is 'us' this time around? We have our first cast of the three stalwarts (Hewso, Ken and Tim) for the year that is 2023! Fortunately, at least two of them have been playing games; and one of them is even what you might call a new release!

Games: Scars Above, Axiom Verge 2 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Lost Sancturary by Daknit, Eric Dude