The Level

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**The Level**

The Level is a podcast for people who love video games. It’s a weekly roundtable hosted by friends and industry outsiders Kole Ross, Ben Merkel, Dennis Furia, David Moneysmith, and Jala Prendes. Every Friday, we discuss video game news, the games we’ve been playing, and listener mail.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 435: Throw Assets at the Problem Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, David, and Dennis talk about Persona 5 Royal, Walkabout Mini Golf, Dawncaster, and much more.

The Grind:

Ben: V Rising. Phasmophobia.
Kole: Phasmophobia. Walkabout Mini Golf.
David: Deep Rock Galactic.
Dennis: Dawncaster. Fallout 3. Persona 5 Royal.

The Multiplayer:

What game or property do you want a survival horror version of?

The End Boss:

A Riven remake is on the way.
Apparently Nascar 2005 for GameCube is a lot more useful than we thought.
The Last of Us HBO series premieres in January 2023.
The PS Plus numbers.

Episode 434: Spaghetti Belts Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, David, and Dennis talk about Phantom Abyss, Tunic, Scorn, and much more!

The Grind:

Dennis: Phantom Abyss. Magic: The Gathering Arena.
Kole: Scorn.
David: Scorn. Deep Rock Galactic.
Ben: Tunic. Satisfactory.

The Multiplayer:

Let’s talk about challenge runs!

The End Boss:

Square Enix trademarks “Symbiogenesis”.
Streamer-funded Smash tournaments fill a void Nintendo isn’t interested in filling.
Dark Souls 2 online play restored, but with caveats.

Episode 433: The Rabbids Ethos Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, David, and Dennis talk about Scorn, Outer Wilds, Echoes of the Eye, Slay the Spire: Downfall, and much more!

The Grind:

David: Deathloop. Deep Rock Galactic.
Dennis: Deep Rock Galactic. Slay the Spire: Downfall Mod. Rabbids: Party of Legends.
Ben: Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye. Tunic.
Kole: Scorn.

The Multiplayer:

What games handle grinding the best?

The End Boss:

Bayonetta 3 voiceover woes.
Silent Hill announcements are happening and we’re uncertain.
Scientists have taught brain cells to play Pong.
Minecraft Legends looks like a neat RTS.

Episode 432: Morbography Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, and Dennis talk about Medieval Dynasty, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye, Ori and the Blind Forest, and much more!

The Grind:

Dennis: Ori and the Blind Forest. Medieval Dynasty.
Ben: Dome Keeper. Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye.
Kole: Rocksmith 2014.

The Multiplayer:

What games use simplicity or minimalism to great effect?

The End Boss:

Among Us is coming to VR on November 10.
Let’s talk about the Mario movie trailer.
VTubers apologize for streaming porn with Splatoon 3, creatively.

Episode 431: Who Yassified Yertle? Oct 07, 2022

Show notes

Kole, David, Dennis, and Jala talk about Catherine Full Body, Deep Rock Galactic, Metal Gear Survive, and much more!

The Grind:

Jala: Catherine: Full Body. Shining Force 2.
Dennis: XCOM II: War of the Chosen. Trackmania. Deep Rock Galactic.
David: Deathloop.
Kole: Vampire Survivors. Metal Gear Survive.

The Multiplayer:

What’s your Last Meal game?

The End Boss:

Google kills Stadia.
CD Projekt Red announces a Cyberpunk sequel and several new Witcher games.
Fandom buys GameFAQS and Kole is concerned.
Overwatch 2 suffers launch day DDoS attacks.

Bonus Level: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

Kole and Jala wrap up their coverage on the main Phoenix Wright trilogy of games by talking about Trials and Tribulations. Story concerned with the pasts of the various characters, it also seeks to wrap up loose ends and give a big fanservice payday to anyone with affection for the cast.

Episode 430: Triple A-ness Sep 30, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Dome Keeper, Trombone Champ, Timberborn, and much more!

The Grind:

Ben: Timberborn. Dome Keeper.
Kole: Trombone Champ.
Dennis: Deathloop. XCOM 2.
David: Deathloop.

The Multiplayer:

What piece of DLC do you think was better than the base game?

The End Boss:

Metal: Hellsinger custom music mods look silly and fun.
A fan has made Super Mario Bros. 5. 0G9-XN4-FNF
Blizzard is making some baffling and hostile decisions with Overwatch 2.

Episode 429: Santa Water is Peppermint Schnapps Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Rocksmith+, Fallout 76 Expeditions: The Pitt, Timberborn, and much more!

The Grind:

David: Fallout 76 Expeditions: The Pitt. Destiny 2.
Kole: Steam Deck impressions. Vampire Survivors. Skinwalker Hunt. Rocksmith+.
Dennis: XCOM 2. Opus Magnum.
Ben: Fall Guys. Timberborn. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.

The Multiplayer:

Think of a favorite video game franchise. What is one change to that franchise that would make you drop it like a sack of bricks? (Apart from the creators being hateful in some way; take that as read.)

The End Boss:

Sim Nimby won’t let you play Sim City.
Grand Theft Auto 6 hack seems like a disaster.
Resident Evil 8 DLC will end the Winters story line.
New GeForce graphics cards will add ray tracing to Portal.

Episode 428: Goth Paraphernalia Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Immortality, Live a Live, Taiji, and much more!

The Grind:

Kole: Immortality. Live a Live.
Dennis: God of War (2018). Death Stranding. Opus Magnum.
Ben: The Planet Crafter. Taiji.
David: Destiny 2.

The Multiplayer:

Free Play!

The End Boss:

PlayStation Stars look like NFTs even though they aren’t.
Pacific Drive looks rad as hell.
Nintendo shows details about Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Against all odds they’re making a new Theatrhythm Final Fantasy game.
That’s not the real TSR, it’s some bigots who trademark squatted.
They made an AI-art SHMUP, with all of the ethical concerns associated with that.

Episode 427: Terrordactyl Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

Kole, Ben, and Dennis talk about Cursed to Golf, Second Extinction, The Planet Crafter, and much more!

The Grind:

Kole: Cursed to Golf. No One Lives Under the Lighthouse.
Dennis: Second Extinction. Death Stranding.
Ben: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Planet Crafter.

The Multiplayer:

Add a character to a multiverse fighting game!

The End Boss:

Rocksmith+ is finally releasing on September 6.
Disney is getting into TCGs with the horribly-named “Lorcana”.
Sam Barlow’s new game “Immortality” is getting rave reviews.

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