The Level

Latest Episodes:

338: It's Gonna Be Goopy Jul 31, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Carrion, the Nintendo Gigaleak, and we ask you about your favorite diegetic interfaces in games.

The Grind:

David: West of Dead. Neon Abyss. Volcanoids.
Kole: Carrion. Good Sudoku. Bendy and the Ink Machine.
Dennis: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Homeworld Remastered.
Ben: Ghost of Tsushima.

The Multiplayer:

What are your favorite ways that games have made their mechanics diegetic?

The End Boss:

The Nintendo Gigaleak is a huge deal.
Someone tries to work out if every game of Slay the Spire is winnable.
Paper Mario: Origami King has a game breaking bug.
Stardew Valley had a game breaking bug… hours before the final version shipped.

337: We Have Quotas to Meet, Son Jul 24, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and Jala talk about Ghost of Tsushima, the upcoming Blasphemous DLC, and we ask you which life lessons you learned from games.

The Grind:

Jala: Alternate Jake Hunter. Resident Evil: Revelations.
Kole: Resident Evil: Revelations. Disco Elysium.
Ben: Ghost of Tsushima.
Dennis: Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Pokémon Sword. Arkham Horror Card Game.

The Multiplayer:

What life lessons have you learned from video games?

The End Boss:

US game spending is at a record high.
Blasphemous: The Stir of Dawn DLC is coming out at the beginning of August.
Overcooked! gets a next-gen bundle called “All You Can Eat”.

336: Personal Pan Purges Jul 17, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about A Plague Tale: Innocence, Resident Evil: Revelations, and we ask you about your dream game crossovers.

The Grind:

Dennis: STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl. Killing Floor 2.
David: Killing Floor 2. No Man’s Sky.
Ben: A Plague Tale: Innocence. Parallax. Youropa. Alucinod. Mushroom 11.
Kole: Resident Evil: Revelations.

The Multiplayer:

What’s your dream game crossover?

The End Boss:

Amazon’s game studio delays another game.
Carrion gets a release date… next week!
Rocksteady, plausibly, is working on a Suicide Squad game.
There’s an interactive documentary about the making of Half-Life: Alyx.

335: BioShaq Jul 10, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about Valley, the upcoming price raise for next gen games, and we ask you about character growth arcs.

The Grind:

Jala: Resident Evil: Revelations. Alternate Jake Hunter DAEDALUS The Awakening of Golden Jazz. Valley.
Kole: Rusty Lake Hotel. Death Stranding.
Ben: The Last of Us: Part 2. Patrick’s Parabox. Mushroom 11.
David: Dead Rising 4. No Man’s Sky. Hitman 2.

The Multiplayer:

Which character’s growth arc do you like the most?

The End Boss:

Next gen games will likely be $70 at release.
Dark Souls III gets a gun mod.
NBA Jam favored the Pistons over the Bulls.
Harry Potter open world game likely.

Bonus Level: Steins;Gate Series Jul 03, 2020

Show notes

Kole and Jala gather to talk about the Steins;Gate series, specifically focusing on the sequel Steins;Gate 0. These are sci-fi visual novels about a group of college students who accidentally discover time travel, and find themselves working against huge violent conspiracies and causality itself to avert World War III. We really recommend them if you're looking for something gameplay light and can handle some of the more annoying tropes when they pop up (before being subverted).

334: Oh God Not the Shark Dungeon Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about The Last of Us: Part 2, the Haunted PS1 Press Event, and we ask you about your favorite bad or goofy AI in games.

The Grind:

Ben: The Last of Us Part 2.
David: No Man’s Sky.
Dennis: Minecraft Dungeons. Dungeon Defenders: Awakened.
Kole: Hitman 2.

The Multiplayer:

What’s your favorite example of bad or goofy AI?

The End Boss:

Mixer shuts down.
Haunted PS1 trailer announcement video was amazing.
FDA approves its first video game for ADHD.
Cyberpunk 2077 delayed to November.

333: Ice Princess Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and Jala talk about Resident Evil: Revelations, Layers of Fear 2, and we ask you about your favorite vehicles in games.

The Grind:

Jala: Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth. Resident Evil: Revelations.
Dennis: Ark: Survival Evolved. XCOM: Chimera Squad. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. Minecraft Dungeons.
Ben: The Pillar.
Kole: Layers of Fear 2. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.

Multiplayer:

Which video game vehicle would you want in real life?

The End Boss:

Resident Evil 8 trailer fun.
Demon’s Souls remaster trailer fun.
Invisible, Inc. gets a surprise Switch release.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

332: I'll Be Wrong Over Here With My Hammer Jun 12, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about the Dread X Collection, For the King, and we ask you which video games should be made into board games.

The Grind:

Dennis: For the King. Valorant. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.
David: For the King. Just Cause 4. Dead Rising 4.
Ben: Deep Rock Galactic. Picross.
Kole: Dread X Collection.

The Multiplayer:

Which video games should be made into board games, and vice versa?

The End Boss:

PS5 event happened in the future in the past!
Devotion is getting a physical release in Taiwan.

331: It's-a Me! Problem! Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Minecraft Dungeons, how scary and uncertain things are right now, and we ask you to wish games into and out of existence.

The Grind:

Kole: Alien: Isolation.
Dennis: The Cycle. XCOM: Chimera Squad. Pokemon Sword.
David: Steamworld Dig 2. Minecraft Dungeons.
Ben: NOTHING.

The Multiplayer:

What game would have the best/worst impact on the world if it no longer existed?

The End Boss:

Publishers and manufacturers delay announcement events to avoid pulling focus from protests of racial inequality.
Days of Thunder NES game rescued from non-existence.

330: The Flying Dadbods May 22, 2020

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Alien: Isolation, Tonight We Riot, and we do a Free Play Multiplayer.

The Grind:

Ben: Tacoma.
David: Tonight We Riot. Jet Lancer. Control.
Dennis: XCOM: Chimera Squad. Steamworld Heist.
Kole: Alien: Isolation.

Multiplayer:

Free Play

The End Boss:

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Remaster announced.
Dennis is playing Crucible.
Unreal Engine 5 tech demos look promising.
John Carmack is a genius and humble.

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