The Crate and Crowbar

Latest Episodes:

Episode 344: Leprosy Mode Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

Alex and Tom F relive the fragtastic heyday of the FPS with Quake mod Arcane Dimensions, and die, with varying degrees of annoyance, at the hands of three different roguelikes: Noita, Spelunky 2 and Hades.

Voxel-physics-destruction game Teardown is out on the 29th of October!
The torrid Golden Axed tale.
Gwen Frey‘s Lab Rat is looking for lab rats, er, playtesters. Link on the Steam page.
Jakub Wasilewski’s SlipWays made in/for PICO-8.
A full-fat PC version is on its way!
Awesome Quake mod and map-pack, Arcane Dimensions.
American McGee’s 300ft zombie and related dev tales from Quake are briefly recounted here.
Noita is out of Early Access! Feels kinda similar to how it did a year ago, honestly. It was good a year ago, of course, but a lot of the systems still feel opaque.
“Let’s get it over with”: Spelunky 2
The Sealed Shop and the Mind-boggling Mistake, a Tom Francis adventure.
Hades may be an excellent brawler, but it is sorely missing a leprosy mode.
Surveillance game Orwell.
“Emergent sim” classic System Shock 2.
Daunting sci-fi colony sim Rimworld.
NEOTOKYO! What a vibe!

You can hang out with us and our community on our Discord channel. If you have a question for a future episode, send it to us at questions@crateandcrowbar.com or tweet us @crateandcrowbar. You can also listen to it on YouTube, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, if you like.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 343: I Will Be The Biggest Whale Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

Graham, Tom S and Chris launch a lifetime of fandom directly at the modest target area of Star Wars: Squadrons, setting off a chain reaction of space-spooge. Also: Zelda meets gacha in Genshin Impact.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has entered early access. It’s quite crashy at the moment, but you can befriend a walking brain. You’ll know in your heart whether to install it now or wait a year.
Steam’s Autumn Festival has ripened and tumbled from the tree. Will it be a mighty payload of fructose or dispense a mouthful of wasps?
Much anticipated tactical biffer Fights In Tight Spaces has a demo, as does whatever this is: Watch Me Stream My Mental Breakdown. There will be Bad Warhammer takes for weeks, too! Hurrah!
Genshin Impact is Very Zelda. But if you’re gonna steal, steal from the Breathst! Is that a pun? Very almost! For some reason, you have to get it from their site, via a bespoke launcher, rather than via Steam.
Please. Please. Feed Chris all the space microtransactions to sustain Star Wars: Squadrons. He’ll buy a Frisk Funko Pop if necessary. Anything.
Master the thrust with your Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas 4!
Signs of the Sojourner has a really interesting and elegant take on conversation-as-game.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 342: Referendum On The Addendum To The Recommendum Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

Tom S, Chris and Marsh vibrate with the excitement of an imminent Star Wars game release while trying to talk about Necromunda: Underhive Wars, budget co-op spookathon Phasmophobia and impressively reprehensible VR stabber Blade And Sorcery.

Listen to Tom Senior’s excellent TV and film spin-off podcast with Jamie Brittain, professional smart telly-man: Monday Or Soon
They put Minecraft in Smash. Just think of the Skype calls.
Chris and Tom can barely contain their excitement at becoming a zoom-zoom space-plane in Star Wars: Squadrons.
Necromunda: Underhive Wars is disappointing, and weirdly recreates the failings of the dev’s last disappointing Warhammer videogame, Mordheim.
Consider the metaphysical / insurance implications of loamy tap water in Phasmophobia.
Spelunky 2: great to chew, even better to share.
I’m savouring a brief period of success in Hunt: Showdown.
Chris has bought the Oculus Rift S, the last generation of Oculus that won’t require you to have a mandatory in-eye projection of Mark Zuckerberg.
Half-Life: Alyx. It’s still good.
Do an official VR Star War Vader Immortal
Do a very unofficial VR Star War with Blade and Sorcery and the The Outer Rim mod.
No, not the bearded Younglings!
Paradise Killer: good fiction, bad friction.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

The Crate and Crowbar Film and TV Pod 001: No-one Told Karl Marx About Vents Sep 26, 2020

Show notes

Welcome to a new experiment from the Crate and Crowbar! We love games, but we’re also huge fans of films and television, especially in these Covid times, so we decided to start a podcast about all that. Tom Senior joins TV writer Jamie Brittain for a whiplash tour of the shows we’re watching right now. In spite of everything going on in the world, TV is amazing at the moment, and deserves to be celebrated.

As this continues we’re planning to touch on every genre and mode of TV we can find, from HBO dramas to soap operas, reality TV, and sports coverage. We’ve tried to put in spoiler warnings as required, but it’s worth noting that DEVS in particular shines if you go in completely cold. Now all that’s said, here are the show notes for episode 001.

“Morphine against the stress and terror of the time”: The Big Flower Fight on Netflix, and The Great British Bake Off.
Sandi Toksvig has moved on to other projects but I believe she’s still hosting QI. She was brilliant on BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz a few years ago, but they still have Nish Kumar and Susan Calman.
“We’ve made some shady cakes.” STOP BAKING FOR THE MAFIA.
What if you took the Great British Bake Off, ripped its soul out, and instead staged a cold blooded lizard war waged by people who no longer take joy from sweet treats? You get Creme de la Creme and Bake Off: The Professionals.
Deep Fried Masters is art.
The first series of Gordon Ramsay’s UK Kitchen Nightmares is also art.
Chef’s Table, however, is wank.
Snowpiercer! On Netflix! It’s bonkers. But kinda good? Maybe??
Bon Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer film is great too.
High Rise is pretty f*cking silly really, isn’t it?
DEVS is very good but I can’t say why in these show notes.
Alex Garland’s a busy chap and I’ll watch anything he writes/directs: 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Ex Machina, Dredd, Annihilation, DEVS.
Into the Spiderverse is also art, obviously.
CATHEDRALS MADE OUT OF SKIN. The Shivering Truth. Beware.
The Shivering Truth animators made Anomalisa, which is a fascinating film in its own way that I’m sure we’ll talk about in future.
Another show that mixes humour and horror: Monkey Dust.
Both shows owe a lot to Chris Morris’ Jam.
A Serious Man is quietly one of the Coens’ best. Jamie would like you to know that the thing he says about the villains in your life appearing at the door with Manischewitz wine is a reference to the rich and textured Jewish theming of the film A Serious Man, rather than a piece of horrifying anti-Semitism.
Arguments! Hereditary; End of the Tour; Girls; Glengarry Glen Ross; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Phew! We covered plenty of ground in this one, and we’ll cover plenty more soon. Email any feedback to crateandcrowbar@gmail.com. You can hang out with us and our community on our Discord channel. Head to the ‘telly and books’ channel for film ‘n TV chat.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, visit our Crate and Crowbar Patreon page. As mentioned in the pod, we only charge Patrons for the core C&C videogame pods, but those donations support the main pod and allow us to do spinoffs like this. Thansferlissenin!

Episode 341: Always Burrowing, No Chill Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

Graham, Tom F and Marsh debate the merits of moon moles in Spelunky 2. That’s it. That’s the only game we need this week. But also: Bethesda’s acquisition, our favourite videogame banks, and multiplayer that isn’t multiplayer.

Bethesda’s acquisition by the Big Green Giant.
Spelunky 2. Welcome to the only show note you’ll need for the next 50 pods.
A collaborative rather than multiplayer game? House Flipper.
Control a collaborative cat as the second player in Spiritfarer.
Group sleuthing is possible in Her Story (and its follow-up Telling Lies).
The Sims 4 may scratch the design itch.
Other information games that would benefit from two brains: Return of the Obra Dinn or the Frogwares Sherlock games

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 340: Carmageddon Mind Palace Sep 18, 2020

Show notes

Alex, Tom F and Marsh island-hop in peerless push-block puzzler A Monster’s Expedition, island-cop in murder mystery Paradise Killer, and Ireland-top in medieval wife-finding interface, Crusader Kings III. Plus! Hadean Lands and Defense of the Oasis.

Enjoy the agony of U-turning marketing executives as a result of the Sony’s PS5 showcase.
Is this the best Sokoban ever? A Monster’s Expedition (Through Puzzling Exhibitions). “Now you’re thinking with logs.”
Footcare is surprisingly important amid the occult aesthetic cacophony of Paradise Killer.
Fool popes and fear children in Crusader Kings 3.
Meanwhile, in Al’s Weirdo Corner…
Minesweeper meets Civ in Defense of the Oasis.
Excellent alchemical text adventure Hadean Lands.
Be a witch in a cyberpunk city in A Bewitching Revolution.
How Bad Design Made Vanilla WoW A Classic by Sea Sells Sea Chels.
Enjoy the feet and horse anuses of Pine.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 339: A Much Bigger Series Of Apologies Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

Graham, Tom S and Chris pick apart the latest Ubisoft Forward like carrion on road-kill, before swooping on, beaks bloodied, to devour Mafia: Definitive Edition, Marvel’s Avengers and Mortal Shell. Mmm-mm!

Ubisoft Forward’s livestream and Yves Guillemot’s apology.
Geoff Keighley was not impressed. For the love of God, Ubisoft, DO NOT BAIT HIS DISPLEASURE! Has not 2020 already demonstrated the devastating power of his wrath?
Revel in the strong Pip energy of A Monster’s Expedition – it’s out!
Mafia: Definitive Edition should be as you remember it, but not as it was.
Avenge your dental pain upon Marvel’s 7/10.
Is it better to be a skeleton with or without a dick? Decide for yourself by playing Soulsian hermit-crabby gribble-basher Mortal Shell.
Tim Heidecker’s improvised 24-esque nonsense, Decker.
This muddle over Star Trek games is beyond my ability to fix in post.
Roleplay shitty backpackers being monologued at by a villain in Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 338: Beyond Good And Weevil Sep 04, 2020

Show notes

Tom F, Chris and Marsh offer late takes on the quickly cooling Gamescom starch bomb, ferry frogs to the great beyond in Spiritfarer and nitpick the nitpicking, and other ape antics, in epic evolution yarn, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey.

Gamescom was put in the microwave for 6 minutes and served without butter.
Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad is half a potato, stamping on a human face, forever.
Vlambeer is no more! :'(
But as it expires it has released a final prototype. :’D
Usher your frog uncle to the afterlife in this ghost therapy game, worth four whole potatoes, Spiritfarer.
Patrice Desilets’ Chimpin’ Ain’t Easy aka Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey.
A Monster’s Expedition is out next week!
Fun Youtubesman, Christopher Odd.
Jack and Kat’s Crusader Kings 3 playthrough.
A narrative-only cut of The Last of Us 2.
A Half-Life: Alyx playthrough performed by Luiso Longplays.
Weird improv skit / playthrough / descent into madness, Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware.
Surprise Lordranning in Mortal Kombat 11.
The ISS is really sleeping on the science of frozen rotisserie chicken orbital drops.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 337: When Life Gives You Krakens Aug 21, 2020

Show notes

Chris, Tom F and Marsh ogle the inter-corporate fisticuffs of Epic v Apple, boggle at the buffs of roguelike shooter Risk of Rain 2, make bassist assumptions in identity puzzler Family and fear ducks in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

It’s Tim vs Tim! Chris Plante has a good summary and analysis of the Epic/Apple lawsuit in his newsletter.
Dim Tanglell? Who he? We will never know or care again, hopefully.
Wash that Assburger down with a slug of Clancian Ribena in Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War
Due Process, the perennially awaited counter-terrorism shooter is finally out, sort of.
Become the ideal – half robot, half plant – in Risk of Rain 2
Make bassist assumptions in Family: it’s an Obra Dinn but for late 80s pop musicians from London!
Do we need a Book of Opposites to catalogue the spider-lemon / muffin-kraken spectra?
International verklempt facilitator / duck dread inducer: Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Explore and paint a fantasy world in Eastshade.
Mýrdalssandur, Iceland is a nice walking simulator set in Mýrdalssandur, Iceland.
Rigid Rubbery Mountain Mage is the coincidentally also the name of Fleet Foxes new album.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 336: Hurled Into The Fuzzy Bracket Aug 14, 2020

Show notes

Alex, Chris and Marsh dispute the tutes of Horizon: Zero Dawn, unpack throwback hack-n-slash Book of Demons, wibble beans in Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout and quibble shtick in meta point-n-click There Is No Game, before returning to our briny home.

Pony Island and Hex are the Daniel Mullins Games games which precede the recently unveiled Inscryption. Looks great. No idea what it is really.
Pony Canyon appears to be a Japanese publisher of music, games and anime. It is not the thing we talk about, but it is, apparently, irresistible to say.
Atomic Heart is a gorgeously arted Don’t Be Beaten Up By A Robot game.
Not becoming a museum is really hard.
Immersive not-sim robodino romp: Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Zero Horizon: Dawn?
Harry San: See A Dong?
Deer Bong: Hose On?
Herzog: Dear Ol’ Horn?
ZingZong: Dawn Hole?
Ah, the French!
Orson Welles’ perfect commercial for Paul Masson.
Good cauldron cooking and 90s hit-game nostalgia in deckbuilding hack-n-slash Book of Demons.
Come back next week or beyond for Blightbound chat!
Wibble your little bean-man to victory in Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
Enjoy wholesome family fall-out in Tricky Towers.
4th-wall breaking UI vandalism in There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension.
Twiddly-bits game Windowsill by Vectorpark. You don’t have long to play this because Flash is to be killed off soon.
Also briefly mentioned, twiddly-bit game, The Room.
Peter O’Hanraha-hanrahan: “He didn’t like it, but he had to go along with it.”
Now better known, to Chris at least, as playwright Patrick Marber.
Lamentable centrist podcast men talk about semiotics. “Sir, please, I only asked if you wanted fries with it.” etc.
Watch me detonate the tracks of Chris’s amphibi-brain-train. Sorry, Chris! Choo choo!
Immersive sim. What it be? Raph Colantonio has opinions. And we are three of maybe dozens of people who care about this.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected