The Level

Latest Episodes:

271: ... Monkeys. Jan 25, 2019

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about Hbomberguy’s fantastic streaming event, Desolate, and we ask you which game you thought you’d hate, but ended up loving.

The Brief:

Hbomberguy raises a tremendous amount of money for Mermaids, a youth trans rights organization.
Amazon is getting into game streaming service (opposite Twitch).
Lots of salt over EA’s canceled Star Wars game.
Eximius DMCA drama, aka publishers are bad.

The Multiplayer:

What’s a game you thought you’d hate, but you actually ended up loving?

The Grind:

Ben: September 1999. What Remains of Edith Finch? Don’t Starve Together.
Kole: New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Silent Hill: Homecoming.
Jala: Octopath Traveler. Tiny Bird Garden. Resident Evil 2 One-Shot Demo.
David: Desolate.

270: Pro-No Jan 18, 2019

Show notes

Kole, Jala, and David talk about the Resident Evil 2 demo, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and we do a free play multiplayer.

The Brief:

Title of the Year 2018 results.

The Multiplayer:

FREE PLAY.

The Grind:

David: Grand Theft Auto Online. Deep Rock Galactic.
Jala: Octopath Traveler.
Kole: Resident Evil 2 Remake Demo. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Final Fantasy XII HD Remaster.

269: Picross, Mitochondria, and Despair Jan 11, 2019

Show notes

Kole, Ben, and Jala talk about Tetris Effect, Stellaris, and we ask you what was the worst game you ever beat.

Be sure to vote in our Title of the Year 2018 poll!

The Brief:

Nintendo Switch and 3DS games added to Humble.
Berlin’s LGBTQ games exhibit.

The Multiplayer:

What’s the worst game you’ve ever beaten?

The Grind:

Kole: Beat Saber. Tetris Effect. Parasite Eve.
Ben: T.I.M.E Stories. Mansions of Madness. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Stellaris. Pipe Push Paradise. Hollow Knight.
Jala: Escape the Room (Board Game). DanganRonpa 2. Octopath Traveler. Three Fourths Home.

268: Criming Things Dec 21, 2018

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Gravity Rush 2, the Kingdom Hearts 3 leak, and we ask you what your personal game of the year was.

The Brief:

Kingdom Hearts 3 leaks.
Google is giving out copies of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, kinda.
Danganronpa creator’s next game, Zanki Zero: Last Beginning comes out in March 2019.
Afonso Ribiero sues Epic over the Carlton Dance being included
Bayani is a fighting game designed to teach you some Filipino history.

The Multiplayer:

What’s your personal game of the year?

The Grind:

Dennis: Borderlands 2: VR. Gravity Rush 2. OnRush. Trackmania. Atlas Reactor.
Kole: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Ben: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Pipe Push Paradise. Layers of Fear. Red Dead Redemption 2.
David: Grand Theft Auto Online.

267: Popular Music Man is Wrong Dec 14, 2018

Show notes

Kole, Jala, and David talk about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Game Awards trailer reveals, and we ask you which single player game you’ve put the most time into.

The Brief:

Game Award trailer reveals.
South Korea cracks down on dodgy eSports practices.
Soulja Boy releases a hilarious console and handheld.

The Multiplayer:

What single player game have you put the most time into?

The Grind:

Kole: Super Smash Bros.: Ultimate. A Room Beyond.
Jala: DanganRonpa 2.
David: Grand Theft Auto V: Online.

266: As You Apparently Do Dec 07, 2018

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about Bethesda’s bag controversy, Penumbra: Requiem, and we ask you which games deserve a sequel (or a better sequel).

The Brief:

Nvidia is demoing AI video rendering.
Rocksteady isn’t making a Superman game.
Bethesda gets in trouble for nylon bags.
Nintendo takes action against YouTubers who upload leaked Smash Bros. soundtrack.

The Multiplayer:

What game deserves a sequel, or a better sequel?

The Grind:

Kole: Penumbra: Requiem.
Ben: Red Dead Redemption 2.
Jala: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.
David: Nothing.

265: I Made Six Quarts of Meal Nov 26, 2018

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Jala and David talk about the Golden Joystick award winners, The Company, and we do a Free Play Multiplayer.

The Brief:

Golden Joystick Award winners announced.
More game accessibility good news.
Banks are hiring Fortnite developers.
There’s going to be an Eevee Tamagotchi.

The Multiplayer:

FREE PLAY.

The Grind:

David: Fortnite.
Jala: Goetia. Vampyr. The Company.
Ben: Octopath Traveler. Super Mario Party. Red Dead Redemption 2. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Kole: Marvel’s Spider-Man.

Links:

PSP 64- Lunar 2: Eternal Blue – The Boxfort

264: The Streets Were Paved With Children Nov 16, 2018

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and Jala talk about the Detective Pikachu trailer, Goetia, and we ask you to write personal ads for game characters.

The Brief:

Microsoft buys Obsidian.
A hero has a bionic arm based on Adam Jensen.
Detective Pikachu gets an upsetting trailer.
Sunset Overdrive is coming

The Multiplayer:

Write a personal ad for your favorite game character.

The Grind:

Jala: Heroes of the Monkey Tavern. Semispheres. Goetia.
Dennis: Mad Max. Atlas Reactor.
Ben: Left 4 Dead 2. Red Dead Redemption II.
Kole: The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker.

263: Just Like Pandas Nov 09, 2018

Show notes

Kole, Ben, and David talk about Red Dead Redemption, the Diablo: Immortal backlash, and we ask you about your favorite game dialogue.

The Brief:

Blizzard upsets fans with Diablo: Immortal, a mobile game.
Ubisoft censors Rainbow Six: Siege for the Chinese market.

The Multiplayer:

What’s your favorite line of game dialogue?

The Grind:

Ben: Red Dead Redemption 2. Left 4 Dead 2.
Kole: Call of Cthulhu. Resident Evil 7 (Not a Hero, and other DLCs).
David: Fortnite.

262: Live Every Phase Like It's Blast Phase Oct 29, 2018

Show notes

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about the PlayStation Classic lineup reveal, Super Mario Party, and we ask you about the dumbest ways you’ve died in video games.

The Brief:

The PlayStation Classic game roster is underwhelming.
Harmonix is working with Twitch to make a streaming karaoke game.
No Man’s Sky goes under water with The Abyss.
Resident Evil 4, the REmake, and Resident Evil 0 are coming to Switch.

The Multiplayer:

What’s the dumbest way you’ve died in a game?

The Grind:

Dennis: WipeOut Omega Collection (VR). Darkest Dungeon. Frozen Synapse 2. Atlas Reactor.
David: Middle-earth: Shadow of War. EXAPUNKS.
Ben: Super Mario Party. Red Dead Redemption 2.
Kole: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

Links: