Stay ConnectedStep into the world of gaming with Gamertag Radio! As one of the most established gaming podcasts, we bring you twice-weekly episodes packed with breaking news, expert reviews, and exclusive interviews. Join hosts Danny Peña, Peter Toledo, Parris Lilly, and Riana Manuel-Peña as they dive into the latest gaming trends and topics. Podcasting since Feb 2005.
Business Email: danny@gamertagradio.com
Copyright: © Gamertag Radio
We sit down with the teams at Evil Empire and Konami to discuss the development of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. In this interview, Lead Level Designer Sandro Bordi, Marketing Director Béranger Dupré, and the Konami team break down how they balanced nostalgia for longtime fans with accessibility for newcomers.
They explore:
The Whip-Centric Gameplay: Modernizing traversal, combat, and exploration mechanics inspired by Super Castlevania IV.
Story & Setting: Setting the game in 1499 Paris, 23 years after Dracula’s Curse, and introducing Rose Belmont.
Design & Music: Drawing inspiration from Symphony of the Night, Order of Ecclesia, and classic series soundtracks.
Collaboration: How Evil Empire’s work on Dead Cells shaped their approach to this original entry.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse releases on October 15th!
Exclusive! Live from the Xbox booth at Gamescom, the team catches up with Jason Ronald (Vice President of Next Generation at Xbox) to break down major news for physical game collectors.
Xbox is launching a new feature for Xbox Insiders that allows players to convert physical discs into digital licenses directly tied to their accounts.
In this episode, we cover:
How it works: How inserting your physical disc unlocks a digital entitlement tied to your account.
Supported titles: Initial availability for thousands of Xbox One and Xbox Series X games, with plans to expand over time.
Disc sharing & secondary consoles: What happens if you lend your disc to a friend or sign into a digital-only console like the Xbox Series S.
Future outlook: The team's game preservation goals, multi-disc backward compatibility, and the future of digital ecosystems.
Tune in for the full scoop on Xbox's latest game preservation push straight from the show floor in Germany!
We got our hands on Crazy Taxi World Tour at Gamescom! In this episode of Gamer Tag Radio, Danny Peña and Riana Manuel Peña share their full hands-on preview, first impressions, and gameplay breakdown after spending nearly an hour with the game.
From exploring the Germany map to testing out new traversal mechanics like Crazy Drift, Crazy Boost, and Crazy Stop, we cover everything this updated Sega classic has to offer. Plus, hear our thoughts on side quests, arcade passenger pickups, hilarious characters, and classic soundtrack tunes!
Danny Peña and Riana Manuel Peña share their hands-on impressions of Stranger Than Heaven from Sega's press event in Los Angeles! From developer balance updates and revamped boss fights to the game's unique combat mechanics, photorealistic visual style, and 50-year narrative arc, we break down what makes this upcoming RGG Studio title stand out.
Subscribe to Gamer Tag Radio for gaming previews, hands-on reviews, and event coverage!
Danny Peña, Parris Lilly, and Riana Manuel-Peña sit down to share their hands-on impressions of the single-player campaign preview for Gears of War: E-Day!
The team dives deep into playing Chapter 1 and parts of Act 2, highlighting key gameplay updates, performance on Xbox Series S vs. PC, new class-based mechanics, and the return to the series' dark, gritty roots.
In this episode, we cover:
First Impressions: How Gears of War: E-Day feels on Xbox Series S and PC running on Unreal Engine 5.
New Mechanics & Features: Dynamic destructible cover, class abilities (Marcus, Dom, Reyes, Mags), and verticality.
Open Districts: Exploration, secondary side objectives, and earning weapon upgrades/mods.
Tone & Narrative: A darker sci-fi tone, seeing a younger Marcus Fenix, and initial reactions to Emergence Day.
Send us questions - fanmail@gamertagradio.com | Speakpipe.com/gamertagradio or 786-273-7GTR. Join our Discord - https://discord.gg/gtr chat with other GTR community member.
Danny Peña and Parris Lilly break down all the major announcements from NVIDIA's GeForce event at Gamescom! From the rollout of DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction to the new RTX Spark laptops and GeForce NOW upgrades, here is everything you need to know about the future of PC gaming graphics.
(Sponsored segment by NVIDIA GeForce)
In this episode, we cover:
DLSS 4.5 & Ray Reconstruction: Upgrades to lighting, image quality, and AI denoiser performance powered by NVIDIA's 2nd generation transformer model.
Supported Titles: First look at DLSS 4.5 implementation in 007 First Light, Control Resonate, Cyberpunk 2077, and Pragmata.
RTX 50 Series Specs: Dynamic multi-frame generation and hardware-level performance features.
RTX Spark Laptops: Next-gen portable gaming performance offering 1440p at 100+ FPS.
RTX Remix & Mods: Community projects getting DLSS 4.5 upgrades, including Painkiller RTX and Morrowind RTX.
NVIDIA ACE & Cloud Gaming: AI-powered teammates via NVIDIA ACE and new GeForce NOW features, including Steam Machine support.
Send us questions - fanmail@gamertagradio.com | Speakpipe.com/gamertagradio or 786-273-7GTR. Join our Discord - https://discord.gg/gtr chat with other GTR community member.
Podcast exclusive! Danny Peña sits down with industry veterans Jerry Hook (former Xbox Live co-creator and Bungie executive) and Scott Brodie (design director and Xbox Live Arcade pioneer) from Team Metal / Probably Monsters to discuss their upcoming Gothic action RPG, Crimson Moon.
In this exclusive interview, Jerry and Scott open up about leaving massive AAA studios to craft a focused, high-quality $19.99 co-op experience. Learn how the team blended souls-like melee combat, roguelike progression, and shapeshifting Nephilim power fantasies into an accessible, highly replayable game built with players' time and money in mind.
In this episode, we cover:
Industry Vets Return to Basics: Why Jerry Hook and Scott Brodie shifted from AAA giants to build focused, high-value experiences.
Crimson Moon Overview: Exploring the city of Gilden Arc, transforming into Nephilim angel forms, and tackling Gothic action solo or in co-op.
Accessible Roguelike Design: Balancing tough souls-like combat with 15–30 minute mission loops, procedural paths, and permanent progression.
Respecting the Player: The decision behind the $19.99 price point and rejecting aggressive live-service models.
Cross-Play & Co-Op: How revive mechanics, difficulty scaling, and cross-platform support bring friends together across PS5, Xbox, and PC.
Crimson Moon launches on September 1st across PS5, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games Store!
Danny Peña sits down with Gamescom co-founder Felix Falk to break down what makes the world's largest gaming event tick. From record-breaking exhibitor numbers to the massive growth of indie games and the evolution of international reach, get an insider's look at how the event comes together.
In this episode, we cover:
Record Growth: Gamescom's sold-out exhibition space, over 1,600 exhibitors, and a 16% jump in indie presence.
First-Timer Advice: Tips on navigating over 30 football fields of space using interactive timetables.
Opening Night Live & Speedrunning: The collaboration with Geoff Keighley and the European debut of Gamestown Quick.
Global Expansion: How Gamescom is connecting markets with satellite events like Gamescom Latam and Gamescom Asia.
Political & Social Impact: Why world leaders, politicians, and global organizations attend the event to understand games culture.
The crew discusses their upcoming trip to Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, and dives into rumors and realistic release timelines for Bethesda's highly anticipated The Elder Scrolls VI. Danny, Paris, and Pete get into a heated discussion about Rockstar Games potentially locking an extended look of Grand Theft Auto VI behind a timed Netflix exclusivity window. Was the Xbox One really as bad as people remember? The hosts look back at the 2013 launch, Kinect's downfall, backwards compatibility, and the games that made the era great. They also share their thoughts on Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine, the open-world gameplay loop fatigue, and the massive wave of new video games dropping this Fall.
Gamescom Prep & Logistics
The crew prepares for their upcoming trip to Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, marking Danny's first time attending the event.
Parris warns about the massive crowds and max-capacity public halls, recommending using Wednesday's media day to scout out business center appointments early.
Following Asha's visit to Bethesda to see an early build, the hosts discuss realistic expectations for The Elder Scrolls VI.
While some speculate a 2027 launch, the consensus leans toward 2028 or 2029 to allow thorough QA testing and avoid past launch issues.
A heated debate breaks out over Rockstar Games potentially offering an extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI on Netflix prior to a YouTube release.
Danny defends the marketing strategy as smart industry expansion, while Parris expresses concern over setting paywall precedents and drawing attention away from Gamescom announcements.
The hosts look back at the Xbox One, highlighting its strong games lineup (Titanfall, Sunset Overdrive, Quantum Break), the Xbox Controller, Xbox Play Anywhere, and the birth of Game Pass and Backwards Compatibility.
They discuss how poor messaging, Kinect bundling, and the initial $500 price point overshadowed an otherwise solid console generation.
The team discusses Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine, addressing preview feedback regarding potential open-world gameplay loop fatigue.
Send us questions - fanmail@gamertagradio.com | Speakpipe.com/gamertagradio or 786-273-7GTR. Join our Discord - https://discord.gg/gtr chat with other GTR community member.
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