The Insert Credit Show

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 404 - What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield discuss Demonschool’s release date getting sniped by Silksong, thoughts on lost media, and E3ster. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: Is Bubsy back? (05:44)

2: Victoria Tran asks, what’s the best video game purchase you made for under $20? (17:53)

3: SteveWithAB asks, what is the most adult E-rated game? (24:03)

4: What most fascinates you regarding lost media? (29:55)

5: From a studio standpoint, what does the last two weeks look like before a video game comes out? (41:34)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Alphabrecs (51:50)

Recommendations and Outro (59:40):

Brandon: My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989)
Frank: King of the Hill reboot if you liked the original
Ash: Be nice to Ash, it’s her birthday whenever today is!

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Ep. 403 - It's Okay to Shut Up, with Victoria Tran Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

Innersloth Communications Director, Wholesome Games organizer, and author Victoria Tran joins the panel for game industry tax tips, thoughts on the “cozy game” genre, and checking Ash’s sauce privilege. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Victoria Tran. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: Esper Quinn asks, which video game has the best music? (05:09)

2: When have you had to make an exception to a personal rule about video games? (11:04)

3: Which games have been failed the most by their marketing? (16:30)

4: What are the easiest ways to trick investors into giving you money? (24:39)

5: What kind of games are particularly prone or resistant to toxic community? (30:03)

6: How do we feel about cozy games? (36:57)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As - Among Us (48:03)

Recommendations and Outro (53:34):

Victoria: Mastering Community Management, the “Best Fishing Minigame” panel at PAX West
Frank: the “Launch of the NES” panel at PAX West
Brandon: Figure out the Intrusive R, don’t turn your french fries around when double dipping
Ash: Recommend your favorite master grade gunpla kits to Ash on the forums

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This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by J.R. Raith. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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Ep. 402 - This Man's Sky Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

The finest minds in video games discuss The Sims 5, good sewer levels, and playing CD-i games with Eugene Levy. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: Liz Ryerson asks, are there any actually good sewer levels? (03:05)

2: When are you personally motivated to replay a narrative-driven singleplayer game you’ve already finished? (08:33)

3: How do we feel about continuing to update a game, instead of releasing a new one? (13:49)

4: How would you design The Sims 5? (20:03)

5: What role has playing video games had in your lives for making friends? (26:24)

6: What’s the deal with Stop Killing Games? (34:18)

7: What are your F.A.Q.s? (42:21)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Mad Men or Kingdom Hearts? (50:26)

Recommendations and Outro (59:02):

Frank: Computer Entertainer, pirate The Naked Gun (2025) and the originals
Brandon: the first third of U.S. Marshals (1998), Buy Demonschool on September 3, 2025 (that’s pretty soon!), please tell streamers you like about the game
Ash: Buy porn, call Visa & Mastercard

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This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by Mnemogenic. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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Ep. 401 - Let's Gather Some Magic, with Esper Quinn Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

Video editor, white-blue-black player, and show note writer Esper Quinn planeswalks with the panel to discuss their first experiences playing Magic: the Gathering. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Esper Quinn. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: Brandon, Frank, and Jaffe, how were your experiences with Magic: the Gathering? (04:13)

2: Why was this Final Fantasy Magic set so successful? (35:37)

Online Multiplayer: What is the first AAA game? (45:29)

3: Spencer asks, what can video games learn from card games? (49:07)

4: Which video games best represent each of Magic’s five colors? (58:21)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design - Magic Names and Art (01:05:40)

Recommendations and Outro (01:16:15):

Esper: Read comics by companies other than Marvel or DC like The Power Fantasy or East of West
Brandon: Black Sabbath, Ludwig
Ash: Anciliary Justice
Frank: Come see Frank on his “Not Afraid to Say It!” Tour at Long Island Retro, PAX, and Portland Retro Gaming Expo

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Ep. 400 - The Insert Credit Best Game Developer List Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

Insert Credit nominates and celebrates the greatest, most influential, and most personally beloved game development studios of all time. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. View the finalized list at insertcredit.com! Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: “Now bear my game podcast!” ICOM Simulations Video Game History Foundation Divorce Other Ocean Demonschool Chuck Mangione Flugelhorn Feels So Good ‘King of the Hill’ Reboot Ozzy Osbourne 1: Brandon’s First Pick (08:00) Human Entertainment Roger Corman Fantastic Four (1994) Albert Pyun Alien (1979) Francis Ford Coppola Sandlot Earth Defense Force series Spike Chunsoft Nude Maker Grasshopper Manufacture Fire Pro Wrestling series Formation Soccer series Human Grand Prix series Mizzurna Falls Grand Theft Auto III Deadly Premonition Clock Tower series Twilight Syndrome series The Firemen series Suda51 Mechanized Attack 2: Ash’s First Pick (12:29) Aggro Crab Games Going Under Another Crab’s Treasure Cult of the Lamb Devolver Digital Peak 3: Frank’s First Pick (14:59) Bobby Kotick Activision Atari H.E.R.O. Pitfall! Barnstorming Electronic Arts David Crane 4: Brandon’s Second Pick (19:05) Taito Space Invaders Cadash Growl Darius Night Striker Sega Saturn Darius Gaiden Elevator Action Returns Landmaker Layer Section Cleopatra Fortune Bubble Bobble Puzzle Bobble Lufia Densha De Go Battle Gear Gunbuster Bujingai: The Forsaken City 10,000 Bullets Spac3 Invaders Extr3me Groove Coaster Square Enix Gunslinger Stratos Taiko no Tatsujin Bandai Namco Entertainment Nintendo Entertainment System Retronauts Operation Wolf 5: Ash’s Second Pick (24:39) Kaizen Game Works Paradise Killer Neon White Promise Mascot Agency Ben Esposito Donut County Oli Clarke-Smith forums.insertcredit.com 6: Frank’s Second Pick (28:23) Nintendo Hanafuda Super Mario Bros. Satoru Iwata Wii Music Nintendo Labo Donkey Kong Bananza John Romero Konami Microsoft Sony Ubisoft The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Animal Crossing 7: Brandon’s Third Pick (34:43) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Red Entertainment NEC Hudson Soft Bonk’s Adventure Tengai Makyō: Ziria Ryuichi Sakamoto Gate of Thunder Galaxy Fräulein Yuna series Sakura Taisen Tempo Nostalgia 8: Ash’s Third Pick (37:56) Eidos Tomb Raider series Sega Game Gear Nintendo Game Boy Color Sony PlayStation Ms. Pac-Man Mortal Kombat Street Fighter Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Angelina Jolie Embracer Group Core Design Bubba ‘N’ Stix Wonder Dog Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck Impossamole Herdy Gerdy Swagman 9: Frank’s Third Pick (41:24) Monty Python’s Flying Circus Dynamite Düx Fighting Force Soulstar Rocksteady Arkham Knight Batman: Arkham series Call of Duty series Batman Marvel Spider-Man series Joker Mark Hamill Slipstream (1989) Batman: the Animated Series Urban Chaos Chao Garden Sonic Adventure 2 Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Batman: Arkham VR Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) 10: Brandon’s Fourth Pick (48:49) Compile Puyo Puyo Aleste Zanac Devil’s Crush M.U.S.H.A. Disk Station series MSX Alien Crush Blazing Lazers Gun-Nac 11: Ash’s Fourth Pick (52:52) Enix King’s Knight Chrono series Final Fantasy series Kingdom Hearts series Yuji Hori Akira Toriyama Dragon Quest series Racing Lagoon Einhänder Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring Tobal series Harvestella Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Game of Thrones 12: Frank’s Fourth Pick (57:01) LucasArts The Secret of Monkey Island George Lucas SCUMM Backyard Baseball Ron Gilbert Wadjet Eye Games Star Wars (1977) Amanda Lucas 13: Brandon’s Fifth Pick (01:02:23) SNK Neo Geo Capcom Metal Slug Data East Bally Midway WonderSwan Fantasy Donkey Kong Sasuke vs Commander Naruto Ikari Warriors Samurai Shodown 14: Ash’s Fifth Pick (01:08:27) Sega Atlus Sonic the Hedgehog series Sega Dreamcast Persona series Metaphor: ReFantazio Ryū ga Gotoku / Like a Dragon / Yakuza universe Sega Genesis Sega Saturn Super Monkey Ball series Shin Megami Tensei series TurboGrafx-16 Super Nintendo Entertainment System 15: Frank’s Fifth Pick (01:16:24) Evening Star Penny’s Big Breakaway Sonic Mania Superman (2025) Sonic X Shadow Generations Freedom Planet 16: Brandon’s Sixth Pick (01:21:06) Bandai Namco Shadow Labrynth Pac-Man Secret Level Concord Ridge Racer series OutRun Galaxian3: Project Dragoon Katamari Damacy Rolling Thunder 3 The Outfoxies Tekken Image Comics Namco Museum series 17: Ash’s Sixth Pick (01:27:40) PlatinumGames Bayonetta Vanquish Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance NieR: Automata NieR MadWorld Grasshopper Manufacture Killer7 Lollipop Chainsaw No More Heroes Van Wilder (2002) Babylon’s Fall Greensboro Grasshoppers Infinite Space Ninja Gaiden series Mass Effect series 18: Frank’s Sixth Pick (01:32:20) Harmonix Rock Band Guitar Hero Fortnite The Osbournes Chroma 19: Brandon’s Seventh Pick (01:37:27) Hudson Soft Cavia Bullet Witch The Bouncer Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Drakengard Military Madness Neutopia Bomberman Adventure Island Momotarō Dentetsu Star Soldier Ninja Five-O Nihon Falcom Ys: Book I & II Fighting Street Nintendo Switch HAL Laboratory Hello Kitty 20: Ash’s Seventh Pick (01:43:34) BioWare Dragon Age series Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Alistair 21: Frank’s Seventh Pick (01:50:52) Kirby series Mother series Sunsoft Batman: The Video Game Fester’s Quest Blaster Master Gremlins 2: The New Batch Ufouria: The Saga Mr. Gimmick The Pirates of Dark Water Batman: Return of the Joker Celebrated Mentions (01:55:14) Fill-in-Cafe Asuka 120% series Mad Stalker: Full Metal Force Panzer Dragoon Panzer Bandit Treasure Gunstar Heroes Dynamite Headdy Light Crusader Silhouette Mirage Sin & Punishment McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure Radiant Silvergun Ikaruga Bangai-O Vic Tokai Psycho Fox Magical Hat no Buttobi Turbo! Daibōken DEcapAttack Battle Mania series Socket Nihon Telnet Valis Exile: Wicked Phenomenon Cosmic Fantasy series Tenshi no Uta series Wolf Team Tales series Wild Arms Irem R-Type Ninja Spirit Undercover Cops In the Hunt R-Type Final Raw Danger! Steambot Chronicles Granzella Data East FACE Ys series Trails in the Sky series GAU Entertainment Rain Jerks Crusader of Centy Flight-Plan Camelot Traveller’s Tales Clockwork Tortise Alpha System NEC Avenue Sacnoth Koudelka Shadow Hearts Supergiant Blizzard World of WarCraft The Adventures of Batman & Robin Sludge metal Wolverine Grime music X-Women Doom metal Ranking Nominees (02:03:35) This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show! Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Full show notes at the publisher

Ep. 399 - The Best Kusoge, with Liz Ryerson Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

Writer, musician, and NYU guest lecturer Liz Ryerson joins the panel to define “Triple A,” genres of kusoge, and film envy. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Liz Ryerson. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: What was the first triple A video game? (03:55)

2: Is it easier to write about a good video game or a bad video game? (10:47)

3: What’s the best kusoge? (16:51)

4: What is the “don’t watch past season 8 of The Simpsons” of video games? (22:51)

Online Multiplayer: How do YOU define an indie game? (28:14)

5: What sports videogame do you pick to play with Champ Bear? (32:00)

6: What are the rules of video game music? (43:24)

LIGHTNING ROUND: The Price Is Sprite (51:00)

Recommendations and Outro (01:01:15):

Brandon: Don’t buy from Mod Retro because they’re owned by war profiteer and weapons developer Palmer Luckey, Everdeep Aurora, learn to pronounce Japanese words if you’re starting a youtube channel about Japanese games
Ash: Foundation, furries
Liz: Love and Mercy (2014) (for normals), Castration Movie (2024) (for non-normals), The People’s Joker (2022)

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This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by Dave Lanki. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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Ep. 398 - Horse Wives Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

The Insert Credit panel you know and love discuss developments in game journalism, gacha games about girls who are horses, and what happens when you put Coke Zero in espresso. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: “I’m almost there, touching the numinous” Murderbot The Murderbot Diaries 1: Ash, you used to write for Kotaku, right? (03:29) Kotaku 2: Ash, what’s your read on this whole G/O Media selling Kotaku to Gizmodo’s parent company? (03:36) G/O Media sells Kotaku and says it’s “winding down” Gizmodo Jim Spanfeller io9 The Root What Is an io9? The Verge Polygon Iodine SegaSammy merger SquareEnix merger Dragon Quest series Hi-Fi Rush Tango Gameworks Krafton slams ex-Subnautica 2 execs — who now say they’re suing 3: When is it cool that a video game changes the rules on you, and when is it annoying? (08:55) Xbox 360 Sega Genesis Commodore 64 4: What non-video game piece of media do you think has inspired the most video games? (13:20) Star Wars The Lord of the Rings Dune Sailor Moon Gambling Magical girl Dungeons & Dragons Zoobooks Sonic the Hedgehog Bill Clinton Arsenio Hall Cedric the Entertainer Knuckles the Echidna Michael Jackson How Sonic The Hedgehog Was Directly Inspired By Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson Miles “Tails” Prower A.C. Slater Screech Powers Blade Runner (1982) Phantasy Star Final Fantasy VI Alien (1979) Metroid 5: Design 3 new characters for Uma Musume: Pretty Derby (18:27) Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Infinity Nikki Seabiscuit Kentucky Derby Babe Ruth Shiori Fujisaki Tokimeki Memorial Eve DraftKings Bayonetta Jill Valentine Lady Dimitrescu 2B Kainé Samus Aran Stellar Blade The iDOLM@STER series Minigame: Gacha Time! (24:44) John Smith The Outfoxies Governor Griffon Red Dead Revolver Steven Tyler Orianna The Witcher III: Wild Hunt The Nothing Fortnite Autkendo Jansa The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Karlach Baldur’s Gate III Heidi Kalson The Sims: Life Stories Bonker Clay Fighter 6: Alex Jaffe asks, what is an indie game? (33:13) Indie Game: the Movie (2012) Braid Fez Super Meat Boy Minecraft Naughty Dog Brandon Boyer Necrosoft Minigame: 18 Questions - Real Person Who Has Appeared in the Greatest Number of Video Games (38:31) John Madden Harrison Ford Sid Meier’s Civilization series Genghis Khan (SPOILER) The Real Person Who Has Appeared in the Greatest Number of Video Games 7: Gemstonez asks, please rank and discuss the PlayStation games mentioned in the song “My Console” by Eiffel 65 (43:12) Eiffel 65 - My Console Tekken 3 Metal Gear Solid Eiffel 65 - Blue Resident Evil Gran Turismo Omega Boost Bloody Roar The X-Files Game Another World Éric Chahi Ridge Racer Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee Pagliacci Winning Eleven series Mathew Kumar Recommendations and Outro (50:39): Frank: Vent your PC heat out of your home’s chimney, Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose Brandon: Check your airplane console for Bejeweled 3 which is the good version of Bejeweled without microtransactions, ZPF Ash: Make more root beer floats, The Murderbot Diaries This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by BB Kaizo. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show! Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Full show notes at the publisher

Ep. 397 - Regular Taxi Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish and https://bsky.app/profile/brandon.insertcredit.com cover Microsoft killing the game industry, the cast of the Street Fighter movie, and the definition of “indie game.” Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Sailor Moon “Humans are lame. Monkeys are good. Billy is the best.” Starbucks Bibendum Ratatoullie (2007) Peet’s Coffee 1: What is the Starbucks of video games? (05:07) Microsoft Nintendo eShop Embracer Group Naughty Dog Nervous Dog Blue Bottle Coffee Activision Blizzard King Fortnite Destiny 2 2: Nicole Carpenter asks, what video game character is the worst patient at the dentist? (10:25) Sonic the Hedgehog Donkey Kong Five Nights at Freddy’s series Maneater Jaws: Unleashed Jaws Ecco the Dolphin Super Mario Bros. 3 Dragon Quest Slime Gelatinous Cube Angry Video Game Nerd Tooth Protectors PowerWash Simulator 3: What is something you always want your character to be able to do in a video game? (16:32) Kris Kross Looney Tunes Michael Jordan Baba Is You Throw Momma From the Train (1987) Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991) Death to Smoochy (2002) Kill Bill (2003) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) WarioWare series Sega Genesis Sony Playstation Reservoir Dogs (1992) Demonschool 4: What do we think of the casting for this Street Fighter movie? (20:37) ‘Street Fighter’ Cast: Who’s Who In The Live-Action Arcade Film Adaption Andrew Koji Ryu Noah Centineo Ken Callina Liang Chun-Li David Dastmalchian M. Bison Cody Rhodes Guile Jason Momoa Blanka Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson Balrog Orville Peck Vega Andrew Schulz Dan Hibiki Roman Reigns Akuma Kana Urasawa Raul Julia Late Night with the Devil (2023) Murderbot The Suicide Squad (2021) Polka-Dot Man Andy Serkis Lou Ferrigno Mortal Kombat (2021) Warrior Tekken series 5: What is an indie game? (28:16) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Scorn Hades II 6: rejj asks, what was your first favorite game, and which game replaced it? (34:27) Atari 2600 Q*bert Super Mario Bros. Gunstar Heroes Metal Slug 3 Contra series Super Mario World Sega Game Gear Sonic the Hedgehog series The Lion King Pokemon Blue Version Tomb Raider II Secret of Monkey Island Grim Fandango 7: What the hell is wrong with video games? (40:38) Microsoft is laying off more than 6,000 employees Call of Duty: Black Ops 22 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Romero Games reportedly met with Microsoft just a day before the publisher pulled funding for the studio, and there was ‘no mention’ of the decision that put over 100 people out of work Hi-Fi Rush Microsoft’s Matt Turnbull on LinkedIn recommending AI to laid off developers 8: Brandon, how was your trip to London and Paris? (47:20) CeX OutRun 2 SP Panic Park California Extreme GameKing Soul Bubbles Gamasutra’s Best of 2008 Taxi 2 Crazy Taxi Taxi (1998) Taxi 2 (2000) 9: Frank, how was your trip to Chicago? And, recommendations (55:43) Jeff Lee The Three Stooges in Brides is Brides Roger Sharpe MSX Nintendo Knitting Machine The Batman (2022) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) Gotham Central Robert Pattinson The Twilight Saga Matt Reeves Finally Completes ‘The Batman 2’ Script The Penguin LIGHTNING ROUND: Frank’s Movie Title Game (01:05:39) Outro (01:17:46) This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by BippityJones. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show! Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Full show notes at the publisher

Ep. 396 - Horse Valet, with Nicole Carpenter and Will Jagielski-Harrison Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

Game journalists Nicole Carpenter and Will Jagielski-Harrison join Ash Parrish to discuss the state of game journalism, World of Warcraft, and gamer girl bathwater stolen valor. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Ash Parrish, Nicole Carpenter, and Will Jagielski-Harrison. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: How fucked is game journalism? (03:23)

2: How do you recommend a game to someone in a way that will get them to play it? (08:24)

3: Happy pride! How does queerness and queer narratives manifest uniquely in games, in contrast to other media? (11:44)

4: What the hell is going on in the story of World of Warcraft? (16:17)

5: SteveWithAB asks, what’s the worst job in a video game? (26:32)

6: What do you think was the hardest video game in history to make? (32:56)

7: Who in video games do you trust? (38:15)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Zelda Maker (40:49)

Recommendations and Outro (52:08):

Nicole: Save Spot, Reese’s Take 5
Ash: Date Everything
Will: Essence of Azeroth, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by massimo. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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Ep. 395 - We've Got Enough Nuts McSquirrels Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

Your Insert Credit panel covers open world games, the Tango & Cash NES platformer, and the many secrets of The Ooze. Plus, credits are spent to make everyone to play a game. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: Ash, how was Summer Game Fest? (02:16)

2: merritt k asks, which classic film should have gotten an inexplicable platformer on the NES? (10:22)

3: When should a video game have an open world? (16:23)

4: Happy pride! What are some extremely complicated things developers can do to make their games more queer? (24:20)

5: Littleboat asks, what is the worst goo in a videogame? (29:04)

6: How were 90’s video games informed by their wider historical context? (35:15)

7: What is the “BlueSky is dying” of video games? (41:32)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Famicom Feud - Repeatedly Novelized Game Series (47:45)

Recommendations and Outro (01:00:29):

Brandon: Support your alt weeklies, Guns and Guts (1974)
Ash: Subscribe to the Patreon at a $10 level to get drag names from Ash, Steam Next Fest

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by B. B. Kaizo. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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