YoVideogames!

YoVG # 336 PSN Premium Games Confirmed! May 18, 2022

Sony confirmed a list of games that will be on its GamePass competitor - PSN Premium. The highest of the three tiers, it will include older games from PS3 down to PS1. While it is an astonishingly small number of ps1 and 2 games that have been announced, overall it looks like a selection of good games from every generation. Especially PS4 - where if you are new to the Sony console ecosystem, Premium offers a mix of the best games from last gen.

YoVG # 355 Trouble in the Mushroom Kingdom May 11, 2022

So, it turns out that Nintendo is not a great company to work for - shocking. But apparently it is even worse for contractors (or associates as Nintendo calls them). Now, it is not exactly a well kept secret that tech companies use a TON of contract labor to avoid hiring more full time employees. It's a way to save on benefits packages, save the hassle of the often long hiring and firing process, and it reads as temporary cost on your earnings, rather than the fixed cost of staff. Being a contractor can be brutal, and often there is a sort of social hierarchy within the companies that separate FTE from Contractors. I know from experience. This is one of the worst/most extreme examples I have ever heard of though. So strap in cus it gets a bit weird.

YoVG # 334 Yuji Naka VS Square Enix May 04, 2022

It's a battle of the bastards in this episode. Yuji Naka has sued Square Enix over being removed unceremoniously from his position as director of Balan Wonderworld. In a shocking twist, notorious d%khead Yuji Naka may be the hero of this story. We top this episode off with the news that Square Enix has sold its western development teams which comes with renewed hope that we will see a Legacy of Kain game again someday!

YoVG # 333 Blanka is here for business Apr 27, 2022

It's not a great title for SEO but I genuinely love Business Suit Blanka and it makes me laugh so I am keeping it. This week sees some news finally drop, from Sony's cool less known update to PS5, to Microsoft having a shockingly good quarter. And because BS Blanka is cool we had to get into a couple cool cross over moments we remember.

YoVG # 332 An Audience For Everyone Apr 20, 2022

Normally this would be when teases and rumors start flying for in the build up to E3, but since E3 is dead - I guess the rumor season will have to evolve. Today's episode is about the unexpected news Nintendo just dropped and how it is easier than ever to find an audience. Question of the day is whether an early teaser trailer, sometimes years before a games release, or the rumor mill is better?

YoVG # 331 Sonic 2 or How to Adapt a Game Apr 13, 2022

Slow news week means evergreen-ish topic. I haven't seen Sonic yet. To be honest, I had no plans to see Sonic but Matt loved it and we decided to talk about what made it a good adaption in an attempt to sell me on it.

YoVG # 330 Retro Staying Power Apr 06, 2022

Matt has been going through some retro games lately and he's been wanting to talk about what it's like finding games that have real staying power versus others that age like moldy old cheese. With back logs being a big selling point GamePass and Sony's TotallyNotGamePass - how much of that backlog has even aged well I wonder?

YoVG # 329 Sony is Spartacus Mar 30, 2022

Sony officially announced its GamePass competitor today! It is NOT called Codename: Spartacus - which would have been super cool - but instead is called PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, or Premium (sometimes called Deluxe). We dive in with a comparison of the offerings and a small debate on which is better value: GamePass or Sony's PPP. Shine on!

YoVG # 328 New genre, Who Dis? Mar 23, 2022

We got another great suggested topic, this time from Myles! The evolution of genre in gaming. He uses the example of SRPGs and how they have grown due to incorporating new genre elements - like dating sims in their case - to freshen things up. I'd hazard a guess that literally every series shifts genres here and there, but those shifts can be interesting reactions, or miscalculations about cultural trends or audience desires. Shine on!

YoVG # 327 Best Games For New Gamers Mar 16, 2022

Our topic today was suggested by Kaiber132. If you had a friend ask you what game they should start with - maybe they got a pc for work but it also has gaming capability, or maybe they just want a new hobby... What games do you recommend to get them into it?

YoVG # 326 Sony State of Play Reheated Mar 10, 2022

Sony held a State of Play on short notice, and even more of surprise: almost every game shown was Japanese developer focused. Now, personally there were only a couple games that piqued my interest but it was very cool that half of the games shown were new announcements.

YoVG # 325 Nintendo Ghosts EVO Mar 02, 2022

Does Nintendo hate the Smash community? Or maybe they just hate tourneys? This week we talk about the (not entirely unexpected) bombshell that Nintendo will not be at EVO this year.

YoVG # 324 Street Fighter Horizons Feb 23, 2022

Street Fighter 6 has been officially announced, and with a cool new logo that everybody loves! The debate now is: how long until it comes out? I say they haven't even started but Capcom has been known recently to announce a game and release within the year. Plus we talk Horizon Forbidden West and even a little Peacemaker. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 323 Nintendo Direct to my Heart Feb 16, 2022

This last week was one of the best Nintendo Directs in a long time, and exemplified what makes Nintendo the powerhouse that it is. Anyone worried it would be left behind by mergers and acquisitions can rest easy.

YoVg # 322 Platinum is Running Out of Gas Feb 09, 2022

Yeah okay, Platinum is probably hopping on the Live Services train. But can we talk about the more important thing - Shinji Mikami thinks RE4 remake needs to make the story better. Is this the first time he has ever missed the mark? In this essay I will--

YoVG # 321 Sony Seizes Its Destiny! Feb 02, 2022

It's like someone heard us cracking jokes at the slow news week last week and decided to drop bombs this week. According to sweet baby Keighley: this is just the beginning. So what further bombs can be dropped? Okay I'll say it - Microsoft buys Nintendo. Do it you cowards, ruin everything!

YoVG # 320 Slow News Week Jan 26, 2022

After the bombshell last week, I suppose we should have known this week would be pretty slow. Tune in for theme park talk, a debate on what a full head of hair is, and our casting choices for a Ghost of Tsushima live action film. Shine on!

YoVG # 319 Microsoft Buys The World (of Warcraft) Jan 19, 2022

Phil Spencer just keeps collecting those Ws. He earned himself a big promotion today, just after the news broke that Microsoft bought Activision/Blizzard. Normally we aren't big fans of less competition and umbrella corporations, but in this instance it may actually be an all around good thing for consumers. Give a listen to find out why.

YoVG # 318 Most Anticipated Games of 2022 Jan 12, 2022

This episode is all about anticipation. 2022 is set up to be one of the most memorable years in gaming. Not only because the line up of announced games is incredible, but because there are probably some surprises too. Oh and E3's imminent demise while Geoff "I got Diamonds" Keighley sups on its corpse

YoVG # 317 Digital Diamonds Jan 05, 2022

First episode of 2022! We've never really gotten into crypto, because we aren't experts and this isn't that type of podcast, but Square Enix released a newsletter that has made it absolutely clear that the industry wants to go toward NFTs in games. So, strap in. Or on. Or whatever. And let's talk about digital diamonds and artificial scarcity!

YoVG # 316 Our Favorite Games of 2021 Dec 29, 2021

It's that time of year where we talk about the best games, or rather our favorite games, that came out the last 12 months. In this episode you'll hear all about our favorite gaming moments and a healthy amount about time paradoxes.

YoVG # 315: Miracle on YoVG Street Dec 22, 2021

Our episode today is inspired by a community suggested topic from Emneon Advance. We talk last minute gifts that ended up fantastic and then games we associate with the holidays but wouldn't expect to.

YoVG # 314 Games Awards 2021 Recap Dec 16, 2021

You never really know what you're going to get out of the Game Awards. This year we got a fantasy about Geoff Keighley going Die Hard at Activision. Next year? Who knows.

Oh and of course a few games worth talking about :P

YoVG # 313 Swingers & Swaps Dec 08, 2021

That's right. This whole episode is about turning a game series into a hotwife for some other developer. We've touched on it before, but we have never done a full episode on it. With there being so few indy developers left, these dreams are highly unlikely but it is very fun to think of the perfect dev for a specific IP.

Shine on!

YoVG # 312 DLC End of Run Dec 01, 2021

Five long running fighting games ended their DLC runs this year. Does that mean we are ready for a big refresh? New franchises? New games at the least? Maybe not for Smah, but maybe for the others. This episode is the second remote episode we had to do because I will be out of town working an event for the next seven days. You might notice that the file is named "take two". That's because I am cursed and we had loads of desync and other issues. You shouldn't notice in the audio versions, but in the video, I solved like 80 percent and the last ten minutes I left to the lord.

YoVG # 311 Looking at Multiversus & Project L Nov 24, 2021

Happy Thanksgaming to all who celebrate! It's that time of year where many will be travelling to see family and we will all wish we could sneak away to relax and play games instead of talking to Uncle Chet about whatever the f*&% he's into on Facebook this year. And this year there's a couple cool things that were announced just in time for our thanksgaming episode! Multiversus is a promising WB Smash clone that will be free to play (buy characters and skins and stuff a la KI) and Project L is shaping up to be a crown jewel assist based fighting game.

Happy Holidays doods, we are thankful for you and hope you all have a safe and fun Thanksgaming!

YoVG # 310 Marvel's GoTG & Butterface Games Nov 18, 2021

Speaking as someone who is a bit of a butterface (minus my hero's jawline) - I gotta say I am upset by how accurate this title is to the topic of the episode.

That's right! This week we are talking games that were a let down at face value but ended up being excellent once you dive deeper. Starting with Marvel's Avenger's follow up - Guardians of the Galaxy!

YoVG #309 Margarita Moms & Shag Carpets Nov 10, 2021

That's not even some slightly perverted joke. We genuinely talk about both in this episode. This month we are trying to keep it all positive and talk specifically about the stuff we are thankful for. Hop into this first ThanksGaming episode and hear me gush about Back4Blood and Matt feel deep deep feelings for his N64 switch controller.

Most importantly, all this month I am just going to remind you that we are thankful for you.

Shine on doods!

YoVG #308 Under The Bus Nov 04, 2021

Today we talk about the Academy Museum in LA, the Lucas museum and how publishers like to throw devs under the bus for decisions they clearly have no say in. *cough cough* Crystal Dynamics *cough cough* Square Enix. It's a real roller coaster of topics. Shine on!

YoVG # 307 Is Polish the Enemy of Creativity? Oct 27, 2021

Short answer: probably not. But it sure can seem like it. This is mostly a movie talk because I have been on a kick of watching older and lower budget movies - plus saw Dune and just really wanted to talk movies.

YoVG 306 Letting off some Mercury Steam Oct 21, 2021

Facebook went on a crusade to bring RE4-VR up to modern sensibilities. So... Can't wait for that? And it turns out Mercury Steam (made Metroid Dread) is a crappy place to work as a dev - how do you ask? Well dive on in and we will tell you! Shine on doods!

YoVG # 305 All Good Things Oct 13, 2021

Sora in smash, sure, we gotta talk about it, but we all know what had to happen now that they released a trailer for Welcome to Raccoon City. We went down and forced Mike to be on the second video episode. So let's talk good things coming to an end, and all the good things we hope for this new movie.

Be sure to check out the video for this episode on YoVideogames YouTube!

YoVG # 304 End of Smash Oct 06, 2021

This episode is sponsored by MANSCAPED - Use code: YOVG at check out for 20% off and FREE worldwide shipping!

This episode, besides explaining the new sponsor, is about Smash *finally* calling it quits on the roster, blue point getting bought, a new segment called DUMB ARGUMENTS and our sponsored segment Bush or No Bush.

YoVG # 303 True Lies, Strikes & Remakes Sep 30, 2021

This week's episode topic comes from DoodSauce! We're talking games from 8th gen consoles (ps4, Xbone) that we expect to be remade to death. Plus IATSE strike, Activision gets sorta punished, and Nintendo lies about 4K Switch!

YoVG # 302 Nintendo Direct To My Heart Sep 24, 2021

Lotta people amped about Bayo 3, and maybe even Chocobo GP - but you know we're a Banjo Kazooie house, right?

YoVG # 301 YoVG Remakes - The Path of Neo Sep 16, 2021

We've talked about how to fix games, but this episode we are diving into a new series idea: games we want to remake and how!

YoVG # 300 Sony State of Play September 2021 Sep 10, 2021

Sony comes out swinging with updates and a couple surprises. Many of the games won't be out for a couple years - is this just a hook to keep people hanging on?

YoVG # 299 Good Vibes Only (ish) Sep 02, 2021

Surprisingly - we didn't get a ton of suggestions for our positive only episode. So, we addressed the couple we got and then hit a few big ones. There was a minor amount of taking the piss out of them. Truly, a herculean feat.

YoVG # 298 Gamescom 2021 Aug 26, 2021

It's a news heavy episode - Gamescom, Activision BS, and more!

YoVG # 297 Transparency Aug 21, 2021

Microsoft pissed off fans when it announced, in the name of transparency, that Co-Op and Forge modes wouldn't be available at launch for Halo Infinite. Is the delay a ploy to keep people on game pass? Or is it really the best thing for the game? Let's talk the double edged blade that is transparency.

YoVG # 296 Indie Genre Trap Aug 12, 2021

As block buster games grow ever bigger, the pool of triple A genres seems to shrink. What do I mean? Well, it seems like certain genres of games are becoming relegated entirely to the indie scene and we have some theories as to why.

YoVG # 295 Super Happy Fun Episode Aug 05, 2021

The last two episodes were a bit too serious. So this episode we took all the questions and topics we were tweeted and had a good time talking about them!

YoVg 294 The Coz Crew & What To Do Jul 29, 2021

If you thought you already saw the bottom of the Blizzard/Activision barrel GUESS AGAIN. Let's talk about the guys who failed upwards.

YoVG # 293 Kappa Zeta Blizzard Jul 22, 2021

Today we talk about the Switch Pro-- I mean Steam Deck and our hand held hopes and dreams. Then we bring it down by talking about the latest example of Activision being awful.

Truly this is a roller coaster episode. Shine on!

YoVG # 292 Optimus Pron Jul 15, 2021

It's Matt's Birthday Episode! So jump in and listen to all the topics we can't make a full episode out of. Also, pornhub released most searched terms by state. So that too. Shine on!

YoVG # 291 Infinite Episode Jul 08, 2021

Assassin's Creed Infinity is the next in a long line of infinite games. It's the latest it what is sure to be a forever growing list of live service games. Of the infinite ideas for a title, of the myriad of ways you can communicate the on going, ever living, never ending nature of your new money-milking game - why do they all keep using the word "infinite"? Because marketing is full of dudes with no imagination and a finite supply of ideas as it were. Anyway, we talk about live service games, Switch OLED and the soon to be undying AC game that's coming. Shine on!

YoVG # 290 Sony & Anthropomorphic Frogs Jul 01, 2021

Sony talked mad trash about Microsoft's acquisitions run. Guess what Sony is doing now? Also, we finally defined what we feel would make us successful in life.

YoVG # 289 Let us in we're tryin to____! Jun 24, 2021

It's the doldrums. Every year just after E3, there's little news and less to speculate about. It's a good time to talk about San Dimas.

YoVG # 288 E3 2021 Debrief Jun 17, 2021

Do you think E3 2021 was enough to save E3? Let's talk highlights, surprises, and let downs!

Shine on!

YoVG 287 Boonta Eve Classic Jun 10, 2021

We're on the eve of E3 2021 and the world could go topsy turvy. Why? Because, even though it is virtual this year - it might be an epic year. Maybe they are going all out BECAUSE it's virtual. Last week we focused entirely on Nintendo, this week we run down the other bingo cards and talk some fresh Nintendo and Microsoft rumors.

YoVG # 286 Nintendo E3 2021 Bingo Jun 03, 2021

We tried live streaming the podcast for the first time ever - whether you watched live or are listening later, let us know how you like this. In this episode we make our predictions for Nintendo's E3 2021 line up. Everything from solid bets to dream shots. Shine on!

YoVG # 285 Resident Evil Village Deep Dive May 27, 2021

This week we have our buddy Mike, Actor, Writer, resident RE expert, on the show to do a deep dive into RE8 with us. We talk connections to the series at large, and our thoughts on how this game compares to the others. Beware, spoilers abound!

YoVG # 284 Summer of Love Gamefest May 20, 2021

Is Geoff Keighley upstaging E3? Do I WANT Geoff Keighley to upstage E3? Sure seems like it. This episode is all about Summer Gamefest and whether it is yet another nail in E3's coffin.

Shine on!

YoVG # 283 Indulging Rumors w/ Mike Damiani May 14, 2021

This week's episode is all about indulging the rumors surrounding this years E3. Some of it baffling, some of it exciting.

Matt is joined by special guest and good friend, Mike Damiani of Easy Allies - Shine on!

YoVG # 282 Epic v Apple May 06, 2021

Epic is doing a favor for everyone and standing up against evil goliath Apple! At least, that's what they'd like you to believe. How true is that image? And what does this mean for us, the consumers? Here's our thoughts on it.

YoVGg # 281 I Can't Believe I Didn't Know That Apr 29, 2021

Is this title about a video game? No. Do we talk almost entirely about videogames? Yes. So what didn't I know? You'll find out about 3/4's in. Enjoy the mystery JJ Abrams.

YoVG # 280 Back Peddle Spectacular Apr 22, 2021

Sony back peddled real dang hard on that shutting down the PS3 and Vita store idea. They back peddled right after sales boosted hard - which has led to conspiracy theories that it was a calculated move... Oh and we talk about the Resident Evil Demo too.

YoVG # 279 The Cross Gen Years Apr 15, 2021

In the year 2021, a small, relatively common microchip was in short supply. This caused a shortage on many electronics but was most notably noticed in Next Gen Gaming Consoles. The shortage of consoles was further exacerbated by scalpers buying and holding the systems to sell at insane prices. This led to next gen games having to choose between delay or releasing to sit on shelves because no one had a console to play them on... This is the Cross Gen Years.

YoVG # 278 Hopes for June Apr 08, 2021

E3 is alive!? Konami will have something to show!? States might fully reopen? Is June hyped up or can we really hope? Join us for talk of expected announcements, the two jokes that were so messed up people refused to film them for Assist Me, and all our hopes for the summer.

YoVG # 277 Licensed to Thrill Apr 01, 2021

Remember licensed movie games? They're sorta rare now but at one time they were guaranteed to follow any major motion picture as part of their marketing scheme. Like a soundtrack (remember those!?). This episode we talk about the best, the worst, and the never was that we wish would have happened.

YoVG # 276 The Gray Area of Piracy Mar 25, 2021

This episode starts off with confirmed Switch Pro details but then we get into the meat of the episode. It turns out the PS3 and PS4 have a built in expiration dates. And that leads into Piracy as a way to preserve old games that may otherwise disappear.

YoVG # 275 Post Pandemic Event Survival Mar 18, 2021

Other than Activision Bobby getting a huge payday at the worst possible time, it's been a slow news week. We spend this episode debating whether esports events will make a comeback and more importantly whether I will ever be as attractive as Sam Elliot. Plus a bonus topic are there any directors that have perfect filmographies?

YoVG #274 Staying Mostly Positive About Bethesda & Microsoft Mar 11, 2021

I started this episode by making Matt promise to stay positive about Bethesda being bought by Microsoft. We mostly did it. Mostly. Continuing the pandemic trend of not editing out our tangents and letting you have the longer, more meandering episodes - let me know if you'd like us to go back to 1 hour, strictly on topic style.

YoVG # 273 State of Play and Switch Pro Leaks Mar 05, 2021

Sony's State of Play had a couple surprises, but none quite as big as a confirmed Switch Pro being leaked. It's a roller coaster of emotion for me as I finally see more of Kena, and learn Ember studios might be dirtbags. Jump in and ride with me, doods!

YoVG # 272 Premature State of Play Feb 25, 2021

Sony has a state of play coming tomorrow and they shadow dropped a few interesting trailers today. We talk trailers, VR, and some Nintendo gossip from a terminally ill man 0.o

YoVg 271 Winter Direct 2021 Feb 18, 2021

It's all Nintendo Direct talk today... and bears... and spiders... BUT MOSTLY ALL DIRECT.

YoVG # 270 What Video Game Movies May Come Feb 11, 2021

Sonic 2 officially announced. Means this pandemic might be bookended by video game movies. Last of Us 2 has Craig Mazin as its writer which is promising news and as we recorded this Pedro Pascal was announced as playing Joel - something both Matt and I think is a great move. Yep, this episode is all about the video game movies (and Tv series) that are coming soon and updates both promising and upsetting.

YoVG # 269 Human Paradox & Gaming Mystery Feb 04, 2021

We start off strong with laser tag, shitty human behavior, debate on the use of nuclear energy and then move into gaming mysteries with a segue as subtle as a brick to the face. If you hear children screaming... Well... keep it to yourself. :P Shine on doods!

YoVG#268 And Starring Microsoft as... Goldfinger Jan 28, 2021

Last week, before the madness of the stonks - there was an equally mad event. Microsoft doubled the price of its Gold Membership. It... didn't go well. Also we talk about Gamestop's meteoric climb in the stock market. Neither of us are experts, so take our thoughts here with a big ol' grain of SAHLT.

YoVG # 267 To Simp or Not To Simp Jan 21, 2021

Today we speculate about Resident Evil day and the news it holds as a lead into the real topic Simping. Also, I start a deeply one-sided feud with some wholesome man puppet named Arlo. A line has been drawn. Shine on!

YoVG # 265 2021 is Cancelled Jan 14, 2021

The Harry Potter RPG got pushed back... I think a lot of games are side eyed staring at Cyberpunk and now they wanna push their games back and maybe cancel last gen versions. Don't even blame them, but it does beg the question... What other 2021 games will be pushed back to next year?

YoVG#264 2020 Rah-grets Jan 07, 2021

This episode is all about the games we wish we would have played when they came out. We plan to correct these mistakes this year!

YoVG #263 Games That Flew Under The Radar 2020 Dec 31, 2020

2020 has been a bit of a sh*t-show. But it has also been a pretty solid year for games. Especially Indie games. And even with all the great games we caught, there were some that flew under the radar.

YoVG # 262 Nog Season Member-Berries Dec 24, 2020

'Member that special holiday gift? The year you got your all time favorite game? Member? Let's talk holiday memberberries!

YoVG # 261 Cyberpunk'd Dec 20, 2020

Two guesses as to what this episode is about... Yep! The Game Awards.

And CDprojektRed's most epic ride to the bottom.

Shine on, and buckle up!

YoVG # 2600 Trying to Care about Game Awards 2020 Dec 10, 2020

With everything that's been said about the game awards, and the clusterf***ck of a year that is 2020, we're having a hard time caring too much about them this year. We keep trying to get back to talking about it, but instead we talk Star Wars, Mario/Nintendo Land and Immortals! Universal Theme Park Mario Land Pictures: https://themeparkuniversity.com/universal/breaking-super-nintendo-world-to-open-at-universal-studios-japan-february-4-2021/

YoVG # 259 Timeless Art Styles Dec 03, 2020

Slow news week so we get to do an evergreen topic. Having fun talking about timeless art styles we love, and calling out a couple recent games we think will age well. Shine on!

Thanksgaming 2020! Nov 27, 2020

It's a long title. Basically, we are trying to predict which game or games came out this year that will be influential/will be included on a games of the decade list in 2029. Internet was not terribly reliable for this one due to very high winds and so there is some distortion on my side of the conversation which is weird. Sorry.

YoVG#257 Next Gen Launch Pros and Cons Nov 19, 2020

Next Gen has launched - Matt has some hands on time, and gives us some insight into whether it's worth the money to get one right now. Also, which controller is better, which performs better side by side. And of course... Does it do 60fps all the damn time like we deserve!?

YoVG # 256 Games of the Generation Nov 12, 2020

This week's episode is all about the games we feel defined, pushed, and influenced this generation.

YoVG # 255 Whimsical Distraction Episode Nov 05, 2020

Everyone is anxious, and tired, and juuuuuust needs a distraction. SO HERE IT IS! Nothing too serious, just us chatting about game predictions, possible surprises next gen, Sean Connery movies and more!

YoVG # 254 DMCA & You Oct 29, 2020

The last week has had a few things happen that seemed to rock the gaming world. Namely, a massive wave of DMCA strikes, and even more evidence of crunch at CD Projekt Red. This has led to some pretty wild statements over DMCA and copyright in general - so we get into it a little bit to maybe shed a little more light on the situation.

YoVG # 253 Another Next Gen News Round Up Oct 22, 2020

From Pokemon Source Code to the Death of Quibi - we round up on some of the news that came out this week.

YoVg # 252 Gacha Sex Appeal Oct 15, 2020

Genshin Impact has been a major success... Is it because of Sex Appeal? Is that the most important piece of a free to play success? We talk waifus, Japanese tastes, and waxed b*ttholes.

YoVG # 251 Crunchy News Dump! Oct 08, 2020

Some big news this week! RE movie reboot cast announced, CD Projekt Red going into into crunch, and MSI has been caught scalping their own products. But also, I entered a short film into a competition. I entered my short "Good Cop, Bad Cop" into the My Rode Reel 2020 competition in the comedy category. I'd appreciate it if you'd give it a watch here: https://myrodereel.com/watch/9488 And if you dig it, please take a minute to vote for the short - I'd greatly appreciate it! Shine on!

YoVG # 250 Talking Comedy! Oct 02, 2020

We're finally doing my birthday episode. Which means we go off subject and talk about movies.

Specifically, comedy movies.

BUT FIRST: we talk Smash News!

YoVG # 249 Buying Bugthesda! Sep 24, 2020

Microsoft bought Bethesda... And that can mean big changes in the gaming landscape.

YoVG # 248 Sony Strikes Back Sep 18, 2020

Sony delivered a strong counter to Xbox by announcing a solid (if expected price) as well as a surprisingly reasonable Digital Only price. Add to that, they delved a little deeper on games we saw earlier this year - and it proved to be a pretty awesome presentation. For our live, more in depth commentary - head over to Youtube and catch the stream archive here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrzqikNH7ms Today's episode is our recap as well as Matt's big brain theory on what Nintendo/Capcom's announcement today spells for the future of the Switch.

YoVG # 247 It's Time to da-da-da-da DUEL! Your Move, Sony. Sep 10, 2020

This week's episode sees some news worth talking about from Nintendo and Xbox! Plus: BLOPS Cold War, Bill & Ted, DLSS AI powered Up-scaling, and more! Check out the DLSS comparison images here: https://imgsli.com/MzM1Ng https://imgsli.com/MzM2OQ

YoVG #246 Do you have to finish a game to judge it? Sep 03, 2020

Gamescom was... a little bit of a disappointment. There was ONE thing that excited us - Sable! So, we talk about that but then we move on to a question Kaiber asked on twitter. "Do you think you can judge a game before you finish it?" Also, I take a minute to commit film nerd blasphemy and rip a tiny bit on Kubrick. So, buckle up them buttholes and listen here!

YoVG # 245 Cold War High Score Ramblecast Aug 27, 2020

You know what's two hours long and ranges in topics from CoD Cold War, to Netflix Video Game Docuseries High Score?

This episode of the podcast.

YoVG # 244 Evo & E3: Death or Rebirth? Aug 20, 2020

Love them or hate them, E3 and Evo were both touchstones for the gaming summer. And without them - gaming news has become a somewhat uncontrolled trickle instead of Gaming Christmas. Will these events be reborn post-pandemic, or are they dead and ready to be replaced?

YoVG # 243 State of First Party Games Aug 13, 2020

This episode catches us up on a couple big talking points - Microsoft pushing back Halo, and basically launching with out any first party games, and Sony's recent State of Play.

YoVG # 242 When Devs Make You Salty Aug 06, 2020

Doodsauce suggested a topic on Discord that got us talking: What does a dev have to say to get you extra salty?

Me and Matt? Salty? Never!

Expect salt, tangents, and MORE SALT.

YoVG # 241 Putting Developers Outside Their Comfort Zone Jul 30, 2020

Normally we shorten the intro talk - mostly cus its us bullshi**ing and "warming up" kinda, and also they don't tend to be on topic, so I edit them down, but on this one I figured: quarantine is dragging on, maybe you'd just like to have the extra content and the conversation was good. Bout 25 minutes in we finally get to the topic which is: choosing favorite developers and throwing them into creating a game in a genre totally outside their previous catalog.

YoVG # 240 Xbox Summer Game Show Jul 24, 2020

Xbox shows up with a boat load of games to announce - and while none of them are necessarily show stoppers - there are plenty to be excited about.

YoVG # 239 It's All Fun & Games Until It's Art Jul 16, 2020

As we wait for next week, with a possible Nintendo Direct and Microsoft's big summer first party show - we find ourselves discussing Art with a capital A, story as a driving force for future games instead of game play, and whether remakes will take over here like they did in Hollywood.

YoVG # 238 A Satisfying Climax Jul 09, 2020

An evergreen topic approaches! And yet, it's also topical for the time.

Today we are talking about satisfying climaxes, and what makes them so!

YoVG # 237 Getting Over Criticism Jul 02, 2020

Nobody likes it, we all have to face it. Just gotta get over it.

Does criticism have value? And if so, what? How do you address it? The last week has forced everyone in gaming to look one of the ugliest aspects of the industry right in it's eyes.

YoVg # 236 News Rabbit Hole Jun 25, 2020

It's been an eclectic week - NGPX news, along with the announcement for a moba no one expected, and we discuss some thoughts on Last of Us 2.

YoVG # 235 Is Sony Ghosting VR? Jun 18, 2020

We begin with a quarantine update on how we are surviving, or not. I might be losing my mind. But we jump into the real topic soon: Sony's ghosting its babygirl VR, right? No word about it, not real example of it surviving into next gen - that sh*@ is DED.

YoVG # 234 Sony Next Gen Reveal Jun 12, 2020

Sony for once has a pretty awesome presentation - we get to look at games, games, and more games! No hard release date, and no price point for the new console is a bit of a let down. But I am sure that once July roles around, we'll get both.

YoVG # 233 Best Film Characters for a Fighting Game Jun 04, 2020

We start today's podcast with a brief statement of support for the protests currently sweeping the US and many other nations. We understand that for our listeners this podcast is an escape, however brief, from their daily lives. So, the rest of the episode is a normal episode all about choosing a director, and their filmography, to pick characters to populate a fighting game. Naturally there are tangents all about film, and culture.

Enjoy! Be safe, be kind, walk tall and shine on!

YoVG # 232 Free Ideas for Devs May 28, 2020

Today's episode is a lighter discussion about game ideas we want to see so bad, we'd give the whole damn thing away. Maybe you have an idea for a game, and it's a good one, so you're holding it close in case you ever get to make it... But then you have that idea you want to see so bad you'd give it to anyone who'd make it!

Here's a couple free ideas devs!

YoVg # 231 A.I. Social Growth May 21, 2020

AI is being used more and more in games. More than I even knew. Games like Dark Souls use it for their bosses, so they learn the most common mistakes we make, and then they take advantage of it. It keeps the difficulty high, no matter how many times we play it. It's sort of genius. But what about for social games? What would it be like to haggle with Tom Nook if Tom figured out you're a shady dick, or a naive bumpkin? Would it be too real if that Fire Emblem Waifu turned out to be fickle, or vacuous and you've wasted your time because she got bored (that b***h, you're amazing!). That's what we talk about today!

YoVG # 230 Unreal 5 Tech Demo May 14, 2020

What you see, isn't always what you get on a tech demo.

Today we talk the good, the bad, and the possibly meaningless of Unreal 5 tech demo.

YoVG # 229 Xbox NextGen Livestream May 08, 2020

Okay.

So it wasn't very game play oriented, but there were a few gems that pleasantly surprised us.

And we have a wholesome new way to gauge our interest in games.

YoVG # 228 Naughty Leaks Apr 30, 2020

Naughty Dog got raw dogged by a disgruntled employee.

While we don't talk specifics of the leaks themselves, we do get into the circumstances, and the different types of leaks - like controlled, uncontrolled, and market test leaks. Sometimes companies do this on purpose.

YoVG # 227 Perfect Games Apr 23, 2020

How to define a perfect game? Well, to steal from James Gunn (and modify slightly): A game that sings from start to finish with no obvious mistakes or flaws to their structure or gameplay.

What games fit that description? You might be surprised, but some games we don't even like are on there.

YoVG Final Fantasy 7 Remake Talk w/ Maximilian Dood Apr 23, 2020

*SPOILERS*

Listen at your own risk - Matt and Max have an in depth, spoilery as hell conversation about FF7R.

Shine on!

YoVG # 226 Rumors! Apr 16, 2020

Rumors big and small. We're stuck indoors and everyone is losing their sh*t - so naturally there's all sorts of rumors coming out.

YoVG # 225 Resident Evil Leaks, Freaks, and Squeaks Apr 09, 2020

RE3R is out, and with its release there's been a veritable flood of leaks about RE8, the freaky monsters we may see, and of course squeaks on the problems of RE3 R. It's a longer one today. We hope you're all keeping safe during this weird as hell time. Shine on!

YoVg # 224 Survival Horror Sweet Spot Apr 02, 2020

What is the sweet spot for game length? Does it differ by genre? Is there a sweet spot at all?

News about RE3R's playtime has some fans deciding to abandon ship. So, we get into it over game length pros and cons.

YoVG # 223 Box Art Bamboozlin' Mar 26, 2020

Remember back in the day when Box Art, and maybe the copy on the back was all there was to sell you on a game? Remember all those wonderful covers, and hype as hell descriptions of the game/story?

Remember how sometimes they'd turn out to be utterly full of crap? We remember.

Let's talk old school bamboozlin'!

YoVG # 222 Next Gen Specs Revealed Mar 19, 2020

Confirmed spec lists for both systems paint a picture of what we can expect this holiday season.

YoVG # 221 Talking Viruses Mar 13, 2020

Today we went extra long to make up for the late upload.

We talk E3 cancellation, Corona Virus, and an update to our Resident Evil Main Line game rankings.

If you're self quarantined or stuck inside due to weather, let us keep you company!

YoVG # 220 Games We're Glad We Gave A Second Chance Mar 05, 2020

Sometimes the first time you try something, it sucks. Like brussels sprouts or commitment. But then you go back to it, and it's actually pretty great. Today we're talking all about that. Games we didn't like the first time we played them, and for what ever reason, tried again only to find we love them.

YoVG # 219 Con Plague Feb 28, 2020

Corona Virus has possibly killed GDC - what events are next?

YoVG # 218 Net Code & Next Gen Feb 20, 2020

A tiny spark of controversy regarding a net code patch in SF5 pushes us into a conversation about cap com in general. Also: Next gen could cost (starting at) $500. We get into what would make us pony up the cash.

YoVg # 217 Health Living for Gamers Feb 13, 2020

Today we talk about: How the health and fitness industry is targeting gamers. It's only going to get more prevalent but how the hell did it get this way?

YoVg # 216 EVO 2020 Line Up Feb 06, 2020

Evo announced this year's line up and there's a few shocking choices.

YoVG 215 Quality of Life and Didnee Games Jan 23, 2020

It's a twofer! We talk about quality of life in gaming, and then get into how Disney Games could make a return.

Plus: I rile Matt up about LotR :P

Shine on!

YoVG # 214 Delays Delays Delays Jan 16, 2020

No one likes em, and these ones hit particularly hard in the wallet.

YoVG # 213 CES 2020 & Comfort games! Jan 09, 2020

This episode is about comfort games.

It is also about CES because I brought it up and ended up talking about it for too long to just be an intro topic... I am sorry.

YoVG # 212 Best Games of the Decade! Jan 02, 2020

This is just, like, our opinion, man.

YoVG 211: The Game Advertisements 2019! Dec 19, 2019

I didn't watch them. Genuinely felt there would be no surprises. i guess I was both right and wrong. Matt fills me in!

YoVG # 210 State of Play Winter 2019 Dec 12, 2019

Heyooooo!

Today we talk Sony's latest State of Play, plus we debate what (if any) are the consequences of celebrities taking interest in starring in games.

Shine on!

YoVG # 209 Modernizing Old IP Dec 05, 2019

We've talked about reviving dead series before, and always intended to discuss how we would modernize old IP. So, we finally gave that an episode.

This one is a long one, with many tangents. Enjoy!

YoVG # 208 Thanksgaming 2019! Nov 28, 2019

Let's get mushy, and positive!

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 207 Donkey Kong Country 25th Anniversary Nov 22, 2019

Mini Lorecast for the Donkey Kong Country Series

YoVG # 206 Inside Xbox 2019 Nov 15, 2019

Once again we tried something new! We tried to record while watching live to have our live reactions on the podcast as well as a small round up after.

Also, we recorded this as a video. So watch when it's up and let us know if you like the format!

Shine on!

YoVG # 205 Matt's Adventures in Japan! Nov 07, 2019

Matt's home! Let's catch up with some of his misadventures!

Also, trying something new. Podcast as a video will be up on YoVideogames Youtube.

YoVG # 204 Writing Resident Evil with Mike Young Oct 24, 2019

Hey hey hey!

Today's episode is a bit different. Mike and I delve into the specifics of how we write screenplays with a beginning discussion on how we would execute an adaptation of the first game in the RE series.

It's all main story questions, and story beats, with a few key scenes talked about. Enjoy!

YoVG#203 Spoopy Talk - Mechanics vs Scares! Oct 17, 2019

October is flying by!

With Matt disappearing on a trip for a couple weeks, we wanted to do some spoopy talk early.

Shine on!

YoVG # 202 Playstation V (for Vendetta) Oct 10, 2019

What makes a console name good? Personally I think they've dropped the ball. Playstation 5? Really? Let's pump that up, now it's the Playstation Vendetta! Microsoft Xbox 2? nah f*** that! Microsoft Xplode! Just collect the money!

Anyway, hey I'm back from my honeymoon. :P

YoVG # 201 State of Hyrule with Easy Allies Oct 10, 2019

Hey doods!

Andrew is on his honeymoon, so I took advantage and got Mike from Easy Allies in on some Zelda talk! Enjoy and shine on!

YoVg # 200 State of Play Fall 2019 Sep 26, 2019

It's our 200th episode! Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoy our take aways from Sony's fall update as well as our ad hoc Rambo and Ad Astra reviews!

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 199 Remakes! Sep 19, 2019

Remake dos and don'ts! They're talking about a Princess Bride remake and that spawned this whole conversation about the dos and don'ts of remakes in games (and movies).

I 100 percent forgot to mention that I want a Silent Hill remake :/

YoVG # 198 Andrew's Burfday Bash Sep 12, 2019

It's my birthday! We talk movies this episode. Sometimes videogame movies. I tried to stay totally on topic. It didn't always work.

Enjoy!

YoVG # 197 Super Nintendo Direct Sep 05, 2019

Yesterday gave us an impressive Nintendo Direct full of great game announcements and updates, as well as surprising shadow drops.

Where was this gusto at E3? Who knows. But at least we got it here!

YoVG # 196 2D or Not 2D Aug 29, 2019

I couldn't help myself. What's the episode about? Who cares with a genius pun like that for a title!? Ok, ok. It's about making the jump from 2D to 3D, or rather which amazing 2D franchises failed to make the jump well. Is it because their mechanics just don't work? Or has it just not been done right yet? Shine on doods!

YoVG # 195 Gamescom Excitement! Aug 22, 2019

Things we got excited for at gamescom! And some tangents...

YoVG # 194 Success Breeds Egos Aug 15, 2019

Today we talk about how it seems to be the loop that a successful game leads to arrogance, which leads to a plateau that eventually spells the downfall of our favorite series.

YoVG # 193 EVO 2019 Roundup! Aug 08, 2019

Controversy. Announcements! EXCITEMENT!

It's EVO baby!

Enjoy our round up - and once again, sorry I couldn;t make it this year. But next year lets grab a drink!

YoVG # 192 Realistic EVO Predictions Aug 01, 2019

It's FGC Christmas! Usually EVO has a few exciting announcements for the FGC and there's been a lot of crazy ass rumors spreading about this year - So we try to give you some realistic predictions to either temper your expectations or get you hype for what announcements may actually come!

Shine on Doods!

And those of you going to EVO, have fun and i'm sorry I won't be there to shake your hand!

YoVG # 191 Kill Your Darlings Jul 25, 2019

That is to say: no idea survives the marriage of commercial and creative pursuits. No triple A game, no movie, no song - makes it to your hands without having been censored or diluted in some way. It's a hot button issue right now to get riled up about censorship, but the truth is - this is how it's always been and always will be. And it's not always a bad thing.

We tend to side with the creators/developers in most things, however we do have to admit sometimes (SOMETIMES) the executives make the right call.

Here's the thread that sparked this discussion: https://www.resetera.com/threads/dev-speaks-out-about-censorship-in-games.130401/

Buckle up, this is a long AF one!

YoVG # 190 SNEW Leaks and Pokemon Trees Jul 17, 2019

Super Nintendo Land - or what I have called Super Nintendo Entertainment Land (SNEW for short) had a few models leak this week. And the park looks cool as hell!

Add to that a little controversy from pokemon fans, one that will ultimately mean nothing, and we have what's called a slow AF news day. But a fun conversation nonetheless. Shine on doods!

Nintendo Switch and Nostalgia Lite Jul 11, 2019

Nintendo announced the Switch Lite! FINALLY. And it has a few people riled up. I think it's cool if only somewhat late but this announcement mixed with it being Matt's Birthday week - led us into a conversation about switch lite, good gifts, and matt's fond gaming memories growing up. Dig in and shine on!

YoVG # 188 Let's Talk Exclusives! Jul 04, 2019

Today we talk about whether exclusivity still matters, if it actually costs companies money, and what exclusive would need to be announced to make us buy a system.

YoVG # 187 What was missing: E3 2019 Jun 27, 2019

Last episode was named "Final Thoughts" but I was sick and we left a ton out to accommodate that. So, here is some additional thoughts - namely what was missing from E3 2019.

YoVG # 186 E3 2019 Final Thoughts! Jun 20, 2019

This year was terribly exciting or awfully underwhelming depending on who you talked to about it. Here's our final thoughts on this year's E3!

YoVG# 185 E3 2019 Predictions Bingo! Jun 06, 2019

For the first time ever, I made a E3 Predictions Bingo card. And apparently I did well.

We rate the cards you guys submitted before going over mine and then letting Matt lay down his own predictions based only on the floor plan o.O

Shine on and enjoy E3 2019!

YoVG # 184 The State of Fighting Games May 29, 2019

Just a quick episode on our thoughts of what is to come for the back half of 2019 and all of 2020 for Fighting Games. Matt is convinced a winter is coming - but I'm holding out hope that there will be surprises at E3!

YoVG # 183 Our (current) Favorite Game Music May 24, 2019

For legal reasons, we could not include the songs in the actual podcast but there is a youtube playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXEmGfsFKKYkWGBsvpq0OHDFeGtTC1bIz

Enjoy and Shine on!

YoVG # 182 Game Merch Best and Worst May 16, 2019

Ever buy a piece of game related merch that you ended up regretting? Seen some game merch that made you cringe? What about game merch you love and don't regret buying? Maybe something you'd definitely save in a fire?

Let's talk about it!

YoVG # 181 Gotta Go Back May 09, 2019

In today's episode we talk about what we would like to go back and change in our gaming lives while growing up. Games we wish we would have played, or systems we wish we would have owned or avoided and why.

YoVG# 180 Games We Love, That Everyone Seems to Hate May 02, 2019

This episode was suggested by Emneon, on Patreon. Thanks dood!

With e3 fast approaching, we wanted to do a fun evergreen episode before the storm of news, and announcements that inevitably come this time of year.

Let me know what your beloved, but hated, games are on twitter!

YoVG#179 MK11 Hype and Rage Apr 25, 2019

MK11 released and it looks cool, has a badass story mode, and pretty damn good online!

It also has what seems to many to be the most atrociously tedious (and maybe predatory) system for unlocking new costumes, brutalities, and other such content. So we do a deep dive into MK11's release and reception!

YoVG#178 Playstation 5 News & Discussion Apr 18, 2019

Originally this episode was titled PS5 & Salty B's but I toned it down for iTunes.

That'll be a lot funnier once you listen to the episode.

YoVG # 177 A Hard Talk About Easy Mode Apr 11, 2019

CONTROVERSY!

And other buzz words!

Do you like hard mode? Do you think easy mode ruins games? This is for you.

YoVG # 176 BioGate Apr 04, 2019

A story about real game journalism, and why companies fight so hard to prevent it.

Featuring Bioware, EA and Anthem!

YoVG # 175 Everybody Has a Direct Mar 28, 2019

Did Nintendo change the MF game!? Sony drops out of E3 and puts on a (sorta lame) direct. But then maybe Sony changed the game cus now Nintendo is releasing a Switch Pro (probably). Oh and now Apple is in both the video streaming AND cloud gaming racket.

YoVg # 174 Nindie Direct and Stadia News Mar 21, 2019

In a surprise to no one, Google confirmed their new gaming platform is cloud based.

They're calling it: The Netflix for games.

But with a stupid name. And ambiguous pricing. And probably a load of data mining.

Then we talk about the Nintendo Indie Direct (Nindie Direct).

YoVG # 173 The Google gameCast!? Mar 14, 2019

Is Google cannonball-ing into the gaming world? Next week we'll know for sure, but right now we speculate as to whether there's room for four consoles.

YoVG # 172 Mainline RE Ranked Mar 07, 2019

I almost named this episode "RE Worst to Burst"

But I didn't.

You're welcome.

Now that the remake is out and we have all had time to digest, we wanted to discuss where it ranks. What better way than to rank all the mainline games, including remakes and originals!

Shine on!

YoVG # 171 Full Circle Feb 28, 2019

THQ Nordic PR blunder or master plan? Titty Jiggle! And Bouncy Pokemon in glorious 3D!

Let's do it!

YoVG # 170 The Dog Days of Triple A Feb 21, 2019

First: A conspiracy theory.

Then: Our thoughts on the current state of triple A games.

YoVG # 169 Dirty Direct Feb 14, 2019

This is a tale of corporate douche-foolery, heroic leadership, Nintendo's pretty good direct, and Pornhub.

Like ten minutes of Pornhub.

Just talking about it.

For ten minutes.

ENJOY!

YoVG # 168 Publisher Battle Royale Feb 08, 2019

Year end financials have been released and the winners are... not surprising. But there is one interesting twist - Apex Legends. Lets discuss.

YoVG # 167 Brick & Mortar Coffin Jan 31, 2019

With RE2R and KH3 coming out, it was easy to almost miss the news: Gamestop stock plummeted to 2005 levels. Why? Because they couldn't find anyone to sell to. This could spell the end of Gamestop - and how bad would that be?

YoVG # 166 Are Review Scores Relevant Anymore? Jan 24, 2019

With games constantly being updated post launch, are game scores, or even their reviews - particularly relevant?

Today's episode is pretty long, and I might even rant a little.

Shine on!

YoVG # 165 Scum & Villainy Jan 17, 2019

Today we talk the scummy ish that happened in the last week. From Randy Pitchford to the dangers of some creep at ALA.

Let's go!

YoVG # 164 Next Gen Quality of Life Jan 10, 2019

Let's talk Next Gen. Specifically what quality of life improvements we want to see.

YoVG # 163 New Year Optimism Jan 06, 2019

Starting the new year off right, with an in person episode! Its been a while since we recorded in person, so we wanted to start the new year off with a positive (mostly) and fun free form conversation of what we are looking forward to this year.

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 162 Our Favorite Games for 2018 Dec 27, 2018

The holidays can be kinda awkward. Sometimes, it can mean long drives with family that annoys you, or flights where you're bored. other times you just need to hide away for a couple hours and get your head straight.

Maybe you need a distraction for these times.

And that's when we slip in, like an unexpected (but totally appreciated) slutty person at the bar.

Let us be your holiday hook up. Don't make it weird.

Shine on!

YoVG # 161 Kingdom Hearts & Catnip Dec 20, 2018

Today we talk the heist of a century (for KH3 fans), the difference between two styles of PR, Chinese Ironman, and what Matt thinks a vagina sounds like when wet.

So... Pretty normal episode honestly.

Shine on!

YoVG # 160 Guest Characters Welcome Dec 13, 2018

Recap big moments of the game awards and then we jump into talking about guest characters. What makes them good, what games need them and what makes them bad.

YoVG # 159 PreGame Awards 2018 Dec 06, 2018

Here's a super long talk about sitcoms, the game awards, and our expected announcements. Plus! A new icecream bet, wherein my cynicism, and Matt's (no shit) optimism is immortalized forever.

Enjoy and shine on!

YoVG # 158 Space Cowboys and Burned Bridges Nov 29, 2018

Today we go balls deep on the Cowboy bebop Live action remake, the future of SciFi, and the Bethesda Fire Department putting out the garbage fire that is Fallout 76!

I sound terrible because I'm sick. Again. It's not my fault I swear.

Shine on!

YoVG # 157 Thanksgaming 2018 Nov 22, 2018

We had to talk about some big pieces of news this week, but we wanted to end on a positive note - and give thanks for the doods, and games over the last year.

Happy Thanksgiving (to those that celebrate) and safe travels.

Thank you, and Shine on Doods!

YoVG # 156 No Topic November Nov 15, 2018

We cover a broad range in this episode. I'm not gonna lie, I had a few options for titles. Maybe even ones I'll use later. But the topics would gradually change and grow into something else and I was left with a difficult choice. A choice I solved as wholesomely as possible.

5 bibles.

YoVG # 155 Blizzard (Out in the Cold) Nov 08, 2018

Alright, I don't nail the titles every time. Point is, this episode is about Blizzard's recent garbage storm. And hoo-hahs, as Matt calls them.

YoVG # 154 Smash Me ep 2 (Passion Project) Nov 01, 2018

This week we discuss the latest installment of Smash Me, and passion projects as a whole.

We get cut short due to other commitments, but hopefully we will finish this discussion in a future episode.

YoVG # 153 Smash(ing) Value Oct 27, 2018

Not every episode title is a sex pun. Not every sex pun is particularly clever. We take what we can get.

New smash leak: if it's legit, it's exciting as hell! If not, we're STILL excited. because Smash Ultimate is gonna be great!

YoVG # 152 The Captain of Crunch Oct 18, 2018

Rockstar recently bragged that they spent several 100 hour weeks crunching to finish Red Dead Redemption on time. There was some backlash to this, and the effects that can have on their team. Some even calling for a boycott. Here's our thoughts on that subject. And on Hyena clitoris. Our thoughts on Hyena Clitoris' is also in this episode.

So... Shine on!

YoVG # 151 Next Gen Rumors Oct 11, 2018

WSJ has basically confirmed that Sony has been working on the next gen console. Which has caused all sorts of rumors to fly around. When will it release, what will be its launch titles, and even what will microsoft do to fight back. We discuss it all, right here!

Shine on dudes!

YoVG # 150 Leaky Violence Oct 04, 2018

There was a pretty big leak from WB games a couple days ago. One Kenny lost his mind about... Nope. Not MK but Harry Potter! Let's hear it for all out witches and wizards out there - we finally have a leak to be amped about! We talk about all the info leaked and speculate what else could be in the game.

Then we segue, totally naturally, into game violence. Because we, again naturally, wanted to talk about Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. We talk the differences of 80's violence as compared to today, as well as make a few comparisons between the show and the game.

YoVG # 149 Catching up with TGS 2018, Telltale Ghosting, and More! Sep 27, 2018

Things covered in this episode:

Poor French accents

Red Dead Redemption 2: a tale of animating horse nuts

Raccoon Sex

and a dick's magnum opus.

YoVG # 148 Pre-TGS 2018 Talk Sep 19, 2018

Hey, TGS is literally just around the corner. It's time we discuss what could be going down. Plus a little about our hopes and dreams for the show. Plus a healthy dose of tangents and insanity - like you've come to expect!

YoVG # 147 SNK Showdown! Sep 12, 2018

SNK is pumping out games lately. Are they block busters? No. But they are consistently good games. Good games, good volume? Good show old sport. We're here for it. With TGS around the corner - what else could be coming our way??

YoVG # 146 When Nostalgia Hurts Sep 05, 2018

When you're bustin nut-stalgia and then it hits you... this is game is crap. Maybe it's the graphics. Maybe you remember the gameplay as waaaay better than it was. Whatever it is - today is the day you realized... you were wrong.

YoVG # 145 Cyberpunk 2077 & Gamescom 2018 Aug 29, 2018

Today we go into it with our thoughts on sci fi, influences for Cyberpunk, the gameplay we watched and some announcements from Gamescom. Oh... and I WON the bet! Ice cream is coming my way!

YoVG # 144 Niche Games Aug 22, 2018

Hey. I know - I KNOW. This isn't the MK lorecast. That's coming. Just got delayed so we can add Kenny back in. For now, here's a fun episode about niche games we like and wish we could get others amped up about too.

Shine on!

YoVG # 143 Pre-Gamescom Show Aug 15, 2018

Hey, we're back!

So much happened last week. I mean, that Smash Direct had to be the greatest Nintendo Direct of all time, and then Red Dead game play trailer and finally an absolutely insane game play dump for Doom Eternal! Gamescom is coming up and there are supposed to be even more new announcements! It's like everyone is dumping their final games of this console generation :P

YoVG # 142 YoVideogames EVO2018 Panel Aug 08, 2018

As I promised to some of you last year - here it is. The panel in podcast form.

It was so great to see and meet so many doods, hopefully next year all of you can make it!

YoVG Bonus Episode: Mortal Kombat Deep Dive Aug 02, 2018

My brother Phil joins me today, since Matt is out of town. He still hasn't totally gotten used to being on a podcast but this episode we end up on a deep dive in Mortal Kombat.

And we talk about Centaur Rule 34. Whatever.

YoVG # 141 Comicon Hell and an Uncharted Fan Film Jul 25, 2018

This episode we discuss life's big questions like - is Nathan Fillion too old to play Nathan Drake? Is Stephen Lang the right fit for Sully? Does it even matter when the fan film was awesome?

Oh and apparently Comicon sucks big donkey balls to attend. We talk about that too - but guys more importantly are the Hemsworth Brothers the right fit for Solid and Liquid Snake in a Metal gear Movie?

YoVG # 140 Our Favorite Gaming Snacks! Jul 18, 2018

Matt is back from Chicago and the doods adventure to Galloping Ghost Arcade! Sounds like I missed out, but I'll make a visit asap to find out. This week we talk about the arcade and more importantly, our favorite snacks for gaming. Depending on what point in time! It gets weird. Real weird.

Shine on!

YoVG # 139 Lives and Punishment Jul 11, 2018

It's hot and sticky in California! We're obviously in hell, so let's talk punishment.

This week we get into it about what makes a good or bad punishment mechanic in a game. What is the difference between unforgiving and just plain not fun?

Shine on Doods!

YoVG # 138 When Keeping it Real, Backfires Jun 28, 2018

Remember that hard rule Matt has about sticking it to developers and publishers that mess up - by not buying their games and letting them fail? Here's a few exceptions to that rule. Maybe an amendment to take it case by case.

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 137 E3 2018 Wrap Up Jun 19, 2018

Hey doods! Welcome to our post e3 2018 episode! As promised it's a long one. I'm the only member of YoVideogames that caught the conplague - of course - so it's coming out a little late, but here it is.

We talk best eyes on games (minus cyber punk, because we couldn't get eyes on, but also because it's everyone's number one probably), then we talk our best played and our best in show!

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 136 Our Favorite LGBTQ Characters ♥ Jun 06, 2018

It's pride month! As repeatedly requested, and promised, here is our Top 5 LGBTQ Characters.

First, a disclaimer: I'm sure we got some stuff wrong, or glossed over something important. Please know that our ignorance is not willful or malicious. We look forward to learning more - so please call us out and correct us.

That being said - I'm sure everyone knows who my number one character is. I won't apologize, but I promise I didn't harp on it too much :P

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 135 Waiting for E3 May 30, 2018

E3 is so close we can smell it. The con stank. MMMM smells like... well - hot garbage honestly. But that means it's hard to talk about anything else!

So we clear our plate of all the small things we can't devote an entire episode to. Topics swing from Momocon, to David Cage, to Pink Flamingos and more.

Sit back, relax and let us whisper sweet nothings into your ear holes.

Shine on!

YoVG # 134 Video Game Theme Parks May 23, 2018

E3 gets closer and closer by the day, and with it - the crushing disappointment (and yet oddly sweet victory) of Capcom dropping the ball. I'm getting the icecream this year damnit! (But also, I won;t be mad if I'm wrong).

So today we talk a little about e3 but MOSTLY about video game theme parks. Oh, and maybe a tiny Matt-Rant against KH3 :P

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 133 E3 2018 Predictions May 16, 2018

The Ice Cream bet is on.

Join us for a proper E3 discussion, and a long one at that.

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 132: Catching Up - This Week in Games! May 09, 2018

I was sick last week - apologies for the missed episode. But I'm back! And it's time to review Dad of War (No Spoilers). Plus we talk E3, Xbone and game sales to date, and some stories from the heart of LA.

It's good to be back!

YoVg 131: Games that Deserve the God of War Refresh Apr 25, 2018

Matt and I haven't finished God of War yet, so we'll be doing a full episode on it later - but for now we get into what games/franchises we wish would get a style shift like God of War.

Take a listen and as always Shine on doods!

YoVG # 130 The Unforeseen Consequences of E3 Announcements Apr 18, 2018

E3 draws ever closer and it begs the question... Is it even a good time to announce your game? What if you aren't a first party? Personally I think 6 months is a good timeline - but Makes a few good points about why it can spell disaster for a game. Enjoy and Shine on doods!

Correction: In the episode we say Wii Sports sold 50(ish) million copies compared to GTA 5's 90(ish) Million. In actuality - Wii Sports sold 80+ Million copies.

YoVG #129 Say Goodbye to Toys R Us & The Lost Art of The Final Boss Apr 12, 2018

Hey Doods! Today we have a couple listener requested topics. First about the death of Toys R Us and Second about the lost art of the final boss battle. Both great topics that led to awkward stories and good debate! If you have a request - hit us up on twitter, discord or Patreon. We're always open to your ideas, Shine on Doods!

YoVG 128: Shadow of Microtransactions Apr 05, 2018

Today's topics were suggested by NYCrownlessKing on twitter. So, shout-out to the (occasional) gentleman from the east! We get into it about the somewhat surprising news that Shadow of War is removing its microtransactions several months after its release, and other news. Plus we get into some E3 talk (because, duh).

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 127 Sea of Thieves and Lateral Progression Mar 29, 2018

Sea of Thieves is finally out! How long have I been talking about this damn game? Well it's out and I played it and I dig it pretty hard but it has also caused me some confusion. We'll get into that and more because SoT does something that is somewhat new for online games - Lateral progression. Haven't heard of it? It means there is no leveling and only cosmetic rewards. You'll always be on an even playing field - a year in or starting fresh.

YoVg # 126 Games We Just Don't Get Mar 21, 2018

This isn't an episode about dumping on things - This is an episode about admitting we don't understand the appeal of certain games or genres, and inviting someone to tell us what they love about something. Except Labo. That thing is insanity and I refuse to give it a chance. Ever. :P Shine on doods!

YoVG # 125 Smash 4.5 Mar 14, 2018

The announcement that surprises no one, and yet has somehow stirred up a hornets nest is finally here. Smash is coming to Switch! There's debate on whether or not it is a new entry into the series, or if it is a port. We get into that, plus some new character predictions, a couple wish list new characters, and wish list ports plus some E3 predictions. Lube up and join in - SHINE ON DOODS!

YoVG 124: The Rise and Fall of Multiplayer (This Generation) Mar 07, 2018

Hey there dood. Thanks for tuning in! This episode we talk about how multiplayer became the big selling point because of last generation, but now - could multiplayer be on the wane as a selling point for a game? Unless of course it's entirely multiplayer, but even then, are we at a point where arena shooters and co-op dungeon crawlers will be retired for a while? Lube up the ear holes and as always - SHINE ON!

YoVG # 123 Only You, Can Prevent Dumpster Fires Feb 28, 2018

It seems like Matt has had this one brewing deep in him for a while, and he's finally collected his thoughts. How did the game industry become the dumpster fire it is today? Personally I think it's for the same reason any creative industry can be torturous, but give a listen and see what you think. Let us know on twitter!

YoVG # 122 Marry, F#%$, Kill! Feb 21, 2018

Believe it or not, this has been a request from time to time ever since we did it on the live show once. So here it is, a complete marry, f#%$, kill episode with all our favorite characters. It only gets weird for a second. Enjoy doods and shine on!

YoVG # 121: Sex, Drugs, and Videogames Feb 15, 2018

Hey doods, sorry for the delay. It's been one of those weeks (car died, working late etc etc etc) but today we're talking about the big news - Atari. That's right. Atari circa 1976 was a wild place and today we delve into that, and round things off with our favorite relationships in games!

YoVG 120 EVO News 2018 Feb 07, 2018

Hey doods, welcome back! This week's big news is MVCI getting the snub from EVO's final stage. Not exactly a slap in the face to capcom, but possibly a death knell for the game and possibly mvc as a series for a bit. Maybe not the most surprising but it is devastating for the doods that love the game. This is another remote episode because I got out of work very late and there was no other choice. I miss the normal equipment as well, but we are working on getting Matt a better audio set up for his stream, which will have the side benefit of a much better sound when we have to record remotely.

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 119: Xbawks Gamepass or Fail Feb 01, 2018

This week on the YoVG podcast - rumors afloat of Microsoft buying EA, plus confirmation that Gamepass will now include Xbox first party titles on release day. Is this the future of gaming or a terrible idea!?

YoVG #118 Selling the Nintendo Playstation Jan 24, 2018

We're still slogging through the slow news month, but there is some cool stuff on the horizon. Dad of War on 4/20 (ha), Fable 4 rumors (all but for sure), and Matt's hands on time with the Nintendo Playstation at Retro Con in LA. Plus we get into what our "price" is. Jump in doods and shine on!

YoVG # 117 Pro Peripherals and Hookers Jan 17, 2018

We're still balls deep in a slow news month, but stop by for a talk about our favorite peripherals through the years and a fun anecdote about hookers. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 116 Yakuza and a Movie: The Perfect Date Jan 10, 2018

Hey doods! Another long one here. We get into a discussion about Yakuza 0 now that Matt is finally playing it (watch it on his stream!) and then, the time finally came, Matt gave in... and we talk about all the movies we didn't do an official review for in 2017. Dig in, and Shine on!

YoVG #115 Our Favorite Games of 2017 Jan 03, 2018

Happy New Year! New Equipment came in, hope you're enjoying the difference. Let's start the year off right with an in depth discussion of our favorite games from last year. Shine on doods!

YoVG 114 Badass Villain Designs Dec 20, 2017

What makes the most memorable villains when it comes to looks? Today we discuss some of our favorite villains, and why they are so great when it comes to design. We're still waiting on the new equipment (should be here in a few days), so yet again I have to ask you to bear with the shaky quality. Soon, we won't have to worry about that ever again. Hopefully. Hey! Why aren't you on the official discord? Get on it. Do it. I'll wait here. Shine on!

YoVG 113 Five Great Hero Character Designs Dec 13, 2017

We're back in full swing! Originally this was going to be a Top 5 all time type episode but honestly, this is such a fluid subject, there's no way to be totally honest about it. Too many characters are super badass, and I would change my mind twenty minutes after we finished recording. So we adjusted. This is our list of Great Character's with Great Design, and why they connected with us. Shine on doods!

YoVG 112 The Videogame Awards & PSX Dec 11, 2017

Hey Good lookin'! Been a spell, I know, but we are back. I apologize for first the technical difficulties slowing us down, and then soon after the wildfires mucking things up, but we are stronger than ever, with better equipment and hopefully less fire troubles. Hope you doods have been well. Shine on!

YoVG # 111 Thanksgaming! Nov 23, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving! And for all our doods outside the US, I hope you're just enjoying your week. Shine on!

YoVG 110 1st Party Report Card 2017 Nov 15, 2017

It's time for part two of our report card series for this year. We're talkin' first party publishers and the credibility of that big leak that recently happened. Join Matt, Phil, and I as we get into a real talk about this year's game releases.

YoVG #109 Third Party Report Card 2017 Nov 08, 2017

The year is drawing to a close. All but one or two major titles have been released. It's time... for the 2017 Third Party Publisher's report card! Next week, we'll be doing first party, so stay tuned for that. We are joined again by Phil, and the problems/troubleshooting continue. Honestly no idea what is going on, maybe the mixer is going bad? I'll solve it before next week.

YoVG # 108 Top 5 Horror Games of All Time (2017) Nov 01, 2017

Hey doods! Happy Halloween. Hope you all had a safe celebration, for those of you who partake. Those that don't, I hope it was a good Tuesday? Anyway, it's another Top 5 episode! Matt hates em, I love em, and my brother was a guest for shits and giggles. He knows vastly more about lore and games than I do, so he had some interesting picks, and all the story reasons to back them up. If you guys dig his input, even though he kept not speaking into the mic, let me know and I'll get him to be a regular on the show.

Shine on doods!

YoVG # 107 This Week in Game News Oct 25, 2017

Big news in gaming this week. NeoGAF might be DOA after another round of alleged sexual harassment from its owner and Nintendo has yet again taken a step backward and mishandled a situation. It's a bit of a real talk episode, so dig in and Shine on!

YoVG # 106 In Memory of Fallen Game Companies Oct 19, 2017

EA shut down Visceral Games this week. They were the makers of Dead Space and what could have been an interesting single player Star Wars game. This prompted a conversation about companies dead and gone, as well as who we miss most.

YoVG # 105 Definitive EFF Lootboxes Episode Oct 11, 2017

Matt has had some strong words for lootboxes in the past, but now with the news that Battlefront 2 and several other games (even single player only) will have gameplay effecting rewards found only in paid for loot boxes, he had to get some thoughts off his chest. I'm not that bothered by it, but I do think it's a mostly crap practice. I have fun playing devil's advocate to rile him up even more though.

YoVG # 104 Game Settings, Good and Bad Oct 04, 2017

Hey doods, we are all out of town this week, but Matt and I recorded a quick episode rather than let you go without! Shine on!

YoVG # 103 ATLUS and Emulation Sep 27, 2017

Atlus screwed up again. The Japanese side of the company went ahead and tried to shut down an emulator that was working on bringing Persona 5 to PC. Then when that blew up in their face, as can be expected, they had Atlus USA try and PR their way out of it. So, let's draw even more attention to that, and talk emulators pros and cons!

YoVG #102 Tokyo Game Show 2017 Sep 21, 2017

So, we had to talk about it. It was a little underwhelming this year, but there were a few good things we had to bring up. Thanks for bearing with my new schedule guys, I'll be back on my game soon!

Shine on!

YoVG # 101 Dumpster Fire: Gaming Journalism Sep 13, 2017

Doods! We're a little burned out today, but don't worry we are gonna be back in tip top shape soon. We had fun this episode, throwing a bit of shade at gaming journalism. Inspired by an amazing video where a game journalist can't perform basic moves to pass the Cuphead tutorial, and reminiscent of Polygon's Doom(2016) playthrough, we just had to talk about it.

YoVG # 100 Top 10 Greatest Games of All Time Sep 06, 2017

100 episodes!? Hot damn. Thanks for continuing to listen doods! Enjoy this extra long episode, and shine on!

YoVG # 99 Breaking Point Aug 30, 2017

Whoa, 99 episodes!? We have a cool topic planned for episode 100, but to ramp up for that, today we're talking breaking points. When's the moment, or what's the thing that makes you say NOPE to a game? Let us know on twitter/youtube/wherever. Shine on Doods!

YoVG # 98 Microsoft's Unknown Battleground Aug 23, 2017

Microsoft has more disappointing news after the mild upsurge of hope from E3. What do these further delays, when added to Microsoft's cancelling of previous (read: most) major games?

YoVG 97: 5 People We Want in Game Development Aug 16, 2017

Time to round out last weeks episode! This week we are talking about 5 people we want to see in/involved with/back in charge of game development. I'm sure you can guess a couple names and maybe there will be some surprises too. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 96 5 People That Need to Quit Aug 10, 2017

Some people are bad at making games, some are shady, and some just don't belong in the media. Today we talk about 5 people we think don't belong in game development!

YoVG # 95 Skills & Thrills Aug 02, 2017

What's that title mean? Nothing. It's just the easiest way to describe what we talk about this week. As I've probably updated you to death, I've been balls deep in dealing with my brother's wedding happening this weekend and so this week's episode of the podcast is just us having a relaxed gaming discussion, without a specific topic in mind. I wanted to talk about horror games, Matt wanted to talk about RPGs, so we got us one could do both. It's a relaxed episode, but a good one. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 94 Matt Goes to Comicon Jul 26, 2017

Everyone (except Matt) caught EVOla. Kinda horseshit, really, but them's the breaks. So we did this episode over skype and I'm coughing a LOT, which is why I am so damn quiet, cus I muted the mic pretty often to save your sweet baby angel ears. Anyway, Matt goes down to Comicon and skipped Hall H entirely. "what the f*%k!?" I hear you cry into the night... I know. Instead, he got hands on time with MVCI, Sonic Mania and a wonderbread Squaresoft RPG that I honestly can't remember the name of at the moment. So gather round dear listeners and shine on!

YoVG # 93 Stories from EVO 2017 Jul 19, 2017

Our post EVO 2017 episode is full of stories and favorite moments from this year's fighting game tournament in Las Vegas. Evo was run incredibly well this year, maybe for the first time, definitely for the first time I've gone. I have to imagine that is because it was all in one location and Mandalay Bay probably assigned an event coordinator to the tournament. Whatever the reason, minus confusing/obscure panel locations, the even was wonderful. Finals were exciting and surprisingly enough SM4SH was the most exciting for me. Come hang out and hear some stories!

YoVG # 92 Developers That Aged Poorly Jul 12, 2017

Last week we talked about the developers that have kept it together over the years, and even got better. This week, however, it's Matt's birthday... And he wants to shit all over the developers that are stagnant at best and going slowly to crap at worst. Shine on doods! And hopefully we meet loads of you at EVO!

YoVG # 91 Developers That Aged Well Jul 07, 2017

Some game developers have really shit the bed with time, and we'll talk about them next episode. Today we are staying all positive and talking about the guys that have grown from humble beginnings and now kill it! So let's dive in, and as always shine on doods!

YoVG # 90 SNES Classic Jun 28, 2017

SNES Classic was announced! No one is surprised, except that it happened at kind of an odd time. Although maybe this is a perfect time, because it's the lull between E3 and ComicCon. It'll have everyone's attention for the moment. The system will come with 21 games, less than the NES classic, and it'll be more expensive by 20 bucks. However, it has a very solid line up of games, including the never officially released StarFox 2! This then prompts a conversation of what systems we wish would get a classic re-release in this fashion. Come hang out!

YoVG # 89 Best in Show E3 2017 Jun 21, 2017

Now that we have had some time to digest; Matt and I discuss our favorites and least favorite games we saw/played at this year's E3. Also, we spend a solid amount of time discussing Nazis and killing them in Wolfenstein. Enjoy doods, and as always let us know what you think on Twitter!

YoVG # 88 E3 2017 Day 3 Jun 16, 2017

Welcome back tot he round table! Steeb has ducked us for the final day of E3, but it's ok because the wonderful waifu JaeJae replaces him and does it well! Luna and Benny, the two dooddogs also join us and annoy the hell out of me by bumping all the equipment, and barking. Anyway, JaeJae probably had the best day of us all, so listen to find out why and as always SHINE ON!

YoVG # 87 E3 2017 - Day 2 Jun 15, 2017

Tonight's roundtable ranges from VR to Asscreed and talking Steve out of VR porn. Everyone is exhausted, and Kenny even seems asleep at a couple points, but I can't blame him. The crowds have made it difficult to see everything and harder still to play anything. We're coming up on the last day of E3, so hopefully our luck proves strong. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 86 E3 2017 - Day 1 Jun 14, 2017

It's day one! You can tell we are exhausted and excited. We talk about the stuff we spent the most time with today and what are plans are for tomorrow. Audio quality isn't as good as normal because this is a big group in a noisy environment. I did my best, and day 2 I'll tweak even more to make it work, better. Shine on!

YoVG # 85 Pokemon Direct & Memories Jun 07, 2017

Pokemon released a direct today! Pre e3 and we think that means Nintendo won;t waste time going over stuff we have already seen, and instead focus on announcing and showing games we are jonesin' for. We'll see what happens but for now enjoy as we dig into our memories of what is possibly every kid's first RPG. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 84 Is Final Fantasy 7 Remake Cursed? May 31, 2017

Memorial Day weekend was busy. There was some news items. None more disappointing than FF7 remake being pushed back by 3 another 3 years. We spend the bulk of the episode on that, but also talk Friday the 13th: the game, Samurai Jack and Matt's Fanime Panel with Mike from Easy Allies. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 83 Game Delays WTF May 24, 2017

Honestly, f*%# game delays, right? I know it's not the end of the world, and I know a lot of the time it's for the better, but it's still a major let down when it happens. This is me grieving over the delay of RDR2 btw.

YoVG # 82 E3 2017 Predictions May 17, 2017

It's that time of year! Christmas? NAY! E3 is a month away and that means we have a month to get all worked up on the possibilities for the coming year. Matt and I spend 2 freaking hours throwing out our predictions, our hopes, and our dreams. Kick it with us as we plead with whatever higher power there is to give us an amazing show this year. Shine on!

YoVG # 81 Under The Influence May 10, 2017

I was in the mood for some film talk, so we talked about popular games heavily influenced by moves or other popular art. Examples include Metal Gear Solid, Skies of Arcadia, Contra, and more. I also got to call Matt a whore like three times in Spanish so this is a real win for me. We had a lot of fun recording this episode and we ran a little bit long, but shine on and enjoy the ride!

YoVG 80: Collectors Edition May 03, 2017

When did collectors editions start? Today we talk about the origins of collectors editions and the best and worst we can recall. Today's topic was suggested by MorteRenatus on our talk show (YoVG Live). We had a lot of fun, and you doods hopefully will too! Have a great topic idea? Hit us up on twitter, the talk show or email. Shine on!

YoVG # 79: Gaming Mascots WTF Apr 26, 2017

This episode is long as hell. We talk about Gaming Mascots, debate Tetris (and how it can totally eat a dick IMO) and wonder if mascots exist/matter in modern gaming. We also talk about MVCI a little. Yeah it's a weird one, I know. It is also pretty fun. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 78 (More) Nintendo & Its Beloved Dead Apr 19, 2017

Look, I get it, we talk about Nintendo too much maybe. This episode we talk in more detail about franchises that have been left in the dust and what we envision they could do today. I promise we will lay off Nintendo talk for a couple episodes after this. For now, as Easter has just passed, let's talk about resurrecting games we miss like Fzero, 1080, and maybe even Metroid! Shine on doods.

YoVG # 77 A Conversation on East & West Game Philosophy Apr 12, 2017

Matt and I talk the positives of Persona 5, and about China's game market. Due to a technical difficulty, I had to cut that conversation completely. I'm not kidding. It happened. We then go on to talk about the different philosophies between east & west game development. Shine on!

YoVG # 76 Atlus & the New Age Apr 05, 2017

On the day of this recording, Atlus Games released a very thinly veiled threat against Streamers and Youtubers about their new game Persona 5. It prompted us to have a long conversation about their PR suicide and the new age of game journalism. The reality is, Atlus is perfectly within its legal rights to make these demands really. However, the reality also is, this threat does nothing but hurt them. See streaming is, in many ways, a free way for companies to advertise their games and get word of mouth to spread for free. Both Twitch and Youtube offers a very real and easy avenue to build a games hype and community. So by attacking the very people your customers are most likely to listen to about your game, you're strangling those avenues of free marketing. Doesn't seem complex but unfortunately much of Japanese business is based on old world (20+ years ago) thinking and mentality. It must be hell on the younger creatives at those companies. Lord knows western branches of these companies are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to explaining this thought process to stubborn, often downright backwards, executives in Japan.

In other news, Jim Sterling pisses a few people off, and Yookalaylee gets crapped on by the reviewers it was sent to. Granted, none of those reviewers were particularly interested in the first place which is why Playtonic went crowd funded in the first place isn't it? Backers haven't gotten the game yet of course (which in my opinion is a bit of a dick move) so we don't know how the audience the game was intended for will react. Shine on, and as always thank you to our Patrons for helping improve the show, and keep us ad-free.

If you're interested in being a patron or finding out what it is, check out The YoVideogames Podcast Patreon!

YoVG # 75 Our Top 5 Best Consoles! Mar 29, 2017

75 episodes deep and no sign of stopping! Today we talk about the 5 best consoles of all time (to us). Surprisingly Matt and I only intersect once on the list, and at vastly different ranks. Matt likes to say my list is hardcore casual. Let me know what you guys think. Shine on!

YoVG # 74 Where Do Franchises Go to Die? Mar 22, 2017

This week we talk Franchise Killers! Matt was inspired by a Youtube video by Game Sack and we basically decided to record the conversation we were having because of said video. We also announce our Patreon being live and do our first Patron of the Month shoutout, and talk about our new producers. We are bumbled and amazed by the support you guys have shown us. Thank you, shine on!

YoVG # 73 Our Milestone Games w/ Kenny! Mar 15, 2017

We've been wanting to discuss this for a while, and we finally had the opportunity to have YoVG hype-man Kenny on again, so we busted it out! Today we talk about the games that mattered most to us at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years old. It's a fun topic and comes with lots of insight into YoVG on a personal level. We were going to have Steve on as well but he ended up ducking on us. This episode is a little longer than normal and the audio may be different from normal because I lugged all the equipment down to Max's, and we had to hold the microphones in our hands. You'll probably hear Max's stream in the background several times. Shine on!

YoVG # 72 Nintendo Switch: Love & Hate Mar 08, 2017

The Nintendo Switch was released March 3rd, and we've now had some alone time with it. So here is our love & hate episode. Personally I'm really happy with the system. Matt is too, however he does;t see the point of buying it until holiday season 2017. As requested, here is our definitive Switch launch impressions. Is it perfect? No. But is it pretty damn cool? Hell yeah and we think it's got real potential to boot. Shine on doods!

YoVG # 71 March Madness! Mar 01, 2017

This week begins a wonderfully exciting month for us and a terrifying month for our wallets. It seems like March has tons of great games (at least one exciting title a week) and of course there is the switch launch on the 3rd. Join Matt and I as we give a state of the union of sorts. We discuss upcoming games, thoughts on the future, and prioritize what we need to buy, and what we want to buy this month. Plus matt tries to explain some messed up parts of Nier's story, and it sounds insane. Shine on!

YoVG # 70 Play That Funky Music, Game boy! Feb 22, 2017

If we've talked about this before, we have never gone this in depth in the conversation. Ever wonder what Matt is most passionate about in gaming? Yeah, it's music! I'm woefully ignorant about the giants in gaming music, but I learned a lot this episode and I hope you do too! Shine on, doods.

YoVG# 69 Can Love Bloom on the Battlefield? Feb 15, 2017

So even though I've played all the MGS games, I apparently forgot which game this quote is from. It's a fail, but be gentle! Anyway, today is our 69th episode! So let's talk romance in video games. Many will disagree, but Matt and I are on the same page. When romance is the goal of the game, it's kind of crap. I think it works well as a driving force sometimes, but honestly is it really necessary? I think this follows the thought process in film that a romantic subplot is the best way to have character growth. I don't necessarily agree but I will say it is the easiest way to show growth. Jump in and let me know what you're thoughts are.

YoVG # 68 Now, on Television! Feb 08, 2017

So we've done games to film and films to games, but today we get to talk about the sometimes crappy, sometimes amazing BECAUSE they're crappy tv shows based on games. Interestingly enough almost all of these came out in the 90's... It was the best of times for this apparently. Granted it may have been the only way to reach a mass audience of kids in the US. So let's dig in, and hear me tell one awkward story after another. This is another Skype episode as we try to fine tune this before we have a special guest on in the near future. Shine on!

YoVG # 67 Give Peace a Chance! Feb 01, 2017

What is the role of combat and violence in gaming? Can you make a game compelling and exciting without direct violence? More importantly, if you can do that, can the game hold an audiences attention for longer than a couple hours? Today we dig into the games that can make this work, and what games we think could definitely do it with some work. Also dudes, let us know how this episode sounds. Honestly, I'm not sure about the quality. Sounds like there is some compression but overall it sounds pretty good and doing an episode over Skype when we have special guests could open the podcast up quite a bit. In any case, your feedback always helps and I deeply appreciate it. Shine on!

YoVG # 66 NeoGeo: The Past is Now! Jan 25, 2017

NeoGeo made an arcade board that can only be described as a beast. More importantly they are a classic part of any arcade and pizza parlor. Matt and I discuss the games we love most, and share some arcade stories. If I could own one arcade cabinet, it would be a NeoGeo with Metal Slug, Puzzle Boggle, and a couple others on it. Shine on!

YoVG # 65 Nintendo & Playing with my (E)Motion Controls Jan 18, 2017

The Switch event has happened. Nintendo is doubling down on motion controls. Essentially the switch is the WiiU pro. Or rather, this is the culmination of all of Nintendo's systems. Mostly we talk about the viability of motion controls moving forward, but we talk a lot about the Switch specifically. Shine on Doods!

YoVG # 64 Microsoft & the Irish Goodbye Jan 11, 2017

Is ye olde Microsoft pulling a Konami? They've cancelled a bunch of high profile, promising games. Not only that, but they seem to be doing it to projects that are far along. Latest on the chopping block was Scalebound, but plenty have come and died before it. This has us worried about Cuphead, and it has me moderately worried about Sea of Thieves. Not that it will get cancelled; that it won't get the love it should, now that it's apparent Microsoft gives no f*&ks. Let's get knee deep in it!

YoVG # 63 Keepin' it Fresh! Jan 04, 2017

How in the hell do you keep game series, especially long standing series fresh!? Today we talk about how game companies have approached this very problem and what we think the key is. As always, we want to hear you're take, so let us know! We talk about a few different series but spend the most time on Resident Evil and Various Nintendo franchises. This shouldn't be surprising considering it's us, but we do go over various other series' as well. Such as, Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, Devil May Cry and more. Happy New Year doods!

YoVG # 62 In Defense of Waifus Dec 28, 2016

It can get real when you're talking relationships, so... that happens. But more importably this is also a fun episode in defense of dating sims. Near the end we are joined by Elyse, the host of Brain Dump, a science podcast. Matt wants me to play devil's advocate on this one, and I do my best, but honestly I don't really care how anyone gets their rocks off. Nor do I really care whether you enjoy simulated relationships. In a world where I only have so many f*%ks to give; I choose not to give one here. Shine on and have fun!

YoVG # 61 Star Wars Dec 21, 2016

A new Star Wars film has come out this year (Rogue One) and it has us wondering... Where are all the damn Star Wars games lately? All we have on PS4/Xbone thus far is Battlefront. Granted we have a couple to look forward to like the Bladerunner-esque Star Wars game by the writer of Uncharted 1-3. So expect a highly stylized and cinematic game in the next few years. However we muse what exactly happened to the franchise (gaming wise) and then discuss what we would want from a future Star Wars game.

YoVG # 60 Zelda Lorecast pt 4: Timeline C Dec 14, 2016

In the final episode of the Zelda Lorecast we talk about Timeline C. I know it's a surprise, so I'll let it sink in... Good. Thanks for sticking with us, and I hope you've enjoyed the lore cast. Give us some feedback about the next lore cast you want to hear and please rate us on your favorite outlet. Shine on!

YoVG # 59 Zelda Lorecast: Timeline B Dec 07, 2016

Mike, still tied to the chair, gets his ball gag removed to continue talking Zelda! This time we delve into Timeline B: the cannon timeline (In Matt's opinion). I'll be honest, the lore for Zelda is pretty dark considering the targeted audience. I imagine Matt gleefully giving his childhood friends nightmares by explaining the background to these whimsical fairy games... I like it. I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I did recording this. Shine on!

YoVG # 58 Zelda Lorecast pt 2: Oot & Timeline A Nov 30, 2016

Hyrule has been created! Skyward Sword should be ignored now as we move into OoT and Timeline A. This is our favorite timeline so I'm just gonna let you guys jump right in. Enjoy part two of the Zelda Lorecast!

Shine on!

YoVG # 57 Zelda Lorecast pt 1: In the Beginning Nov 23, 2016

Mike Damiani from Easy Allies joins us once again to go balls deep into Zelda Lore! For the introductory episode we cover the creation myth, then talk Skyward Sword and how it's story throws that mythos out of whack. Mike has some great insight about how the story of LoZ has evolved because of interesting retcons and in some cases just flat out dumb additions. This episode begins the four part series. Next week we talk Ocarina of Time in depth, and lead right into timeline A. Shine on!

YoVG# 56 Films that make great games! Nov 16, 2016

As a second part to our previous Games on Film episode, today we talk movies that would or did make great games! If you watch our live show on thursdays, you know we dig movies as much as games, so we can get lost in this stuff. I enjoyed talking about this, and probably missed plenty of stuff, so let's talk on twitter. Enjoy and shine on!

YoVG # 55 Final Fantasy Retrospective Nov 09, 2016

Our Zelda LoreCast is coming up very soon, but with the imminent release of FFXV we want to have our retrospective on the series out there. Anyway, we talk favorite games in the series and remenisce on just what it is makes it good!

YoVG# 54 How hard is too hard? Nov 02, 2016

Today is the day we piss off a whole lot of souls fans. How hard is too hard? Where is the line between difficult and virtual molestation? I can understand the addiction to accomplishing a hyper difficult task. I just don't think that's what I'm looking for in a game or if I even get that from a hyper difficult game. We talk about bad ports, and jankiness that lend to the difficulty of a game and whether that even counts as the game being hard, or the game being built like ass. Honestly, I really do want feedback here because I'm sure many of you, especially the hardcore gamers, love games that offer above and beyond hard settings. Tell me why! Clear this up for me and I'll get Matt to do a cam show somehow.

YoVG # 53 Games and Film! Oct 26, 2016

SO we've touched on it. Now let's take the whole damn thing! We talk games to movies, movies to games etc. Does this involve a lot of Star Wars talk? Yes. Do I regret it? Not ever. We also talk Uwe Boll and Blood Rayne so expect some lesbian sex and gratuitous nudity talk. This mostly just a recorded conversation we've all debated and talked about on every road trip we have ever gone on.

YoVG# 52: VR Dreams w/ Kenny! Oct 19, 2016

Kenny (@unrooolie) is on the show finally! He's hyped about VR, so we dig right into that. Kenny and I hope it goes ham in the roller coaster industry & Matt remains cautious, but optimistic. On top of that we get into the YoVG vacation to Orlando. I won't lie guys... This leads into a conversation about Harry Potter. We end the episode by getting deep into the YoVideogames Lore you could say. We talk about how we met, who hung out where and Matt someone getting a grown man to storm out of a store. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the orgasmic voice of the Hype-man, and all around cool dude, Kenny

YoVG # 51 Girl Gamer Perspective w/ Elyse Oct 12, 2016

Matt has been waylaid by the hurricane and couldn't get home in time to record this episode so I took your guys advice and asked Elyse on the show. For those of you that don't know of her, she's an educator at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and a casual gamer. She loves adventure games and shooters with a special place in her heart of goofy characters and engrossing stories. We talk about the game that got her into games, and what her current favorites are and why. Naturally, since she is in fact a scientist I ask the tough questions like "What games have accurate dinosaurs?" "How likely would you be to survive DinoCrisis?" and more. It's a fun episode guys, hope you enjoy. Let us know what games you want us to explore for the next lorecast! Shine on, dudes!

YoVG# 50 RE Retrospective pt 4: Umbrella's Legacy Oct 05, 2016

This episode marks the end of the timeline! At least until RE7 comes out and we find out what turns they take there. We talk RE4 (duh doi, son), and bring it up to date from there. Plus we get some Capcom gossip and talk about how Microsoft dropped the biggest ball ever. Let's dig in, enjoy and shine on dudes!

YoVG# 49 RE Retrospect pt 3: Umbrella Falls Sep 28, 2016

The RE Retrospective continues! Today we delve into the aftermath of Umbrella's fall. The games that cover this part of the timeline are arguably the weakest in the series, although it has one of the most popular installments in the series: Code Veronica. So let's podcast and chill. You bring the snacks, I'll bring a condom. Enjoy!

YoVG # 48 RE Retrospective pt 2: Raccoon City Sep 21, 2016

Resident Evil Lore continues! Mike, known for his role as Albert Wesker on the Assist Me web series sticks around to get balls deep into the history, production, and lore of one of our most beloved franchises. Today we talk Raccoon City. This encompasses several games, so we could talk about it for hours, but we do our best to get you the details and some of our favorite fun tidbits. Sit back, and get comfortable. We're gonna have a four way with your ear holes, zombie-files!

YoVG # 47 RE Retrospective pt 1: Prologue Sep 14, 2016

It's finally here! We talk lore, we talk production (some) and we talk trash! Welcome to part one of four for the RE Retrospective featuring special guest Mike (Wesker on Assist Me). Shine on!

YoVG# 46 As You Know, We Are Pro Sep 08, 2016

Nintendo courts Apple and Sony goes Pro all while Microsoft beats its meat and passive aggressively tweets at Sony. What do I mean? I mean Nintendo leaned harder into mobile with Super Mario Run at the Apple Press event today while Sony talk for forty minutes about HDR and 4k TVs. All while Microsoft quietly dances by themselves and plans its Scorpio debut! This is a real opportunity for Microsoft to get some ground back. Let's see if they drop the ball!

YoVG # 45 Special Guest: Mike from Easy Allies! Sep 01, 2016

We have a special guest! Mike is one of the badass trail blazers from Easy Allies. They're the group of Game Trailers guys that turned to Patreon after Defy Media laid everyone off. He's been in the media aspect of the gaming industry for 8 plus years. Today we talk about the transition from corporate network to independent journalism as well as Zelda, magic, NX rumor comparisons, and speed running. The last half hour we get more in depth into Easy Allies, and the challenges they face. It's an interesting talk, and a lot of fun, so sit back and get in on this!

Follow Mike on Twitter @mbdamiani

Check out the Easy Allies website!

BTW: I had to get Mike's audio levels set properly on the fly, I apologize for the peaking and distortion at the beginning.

YoVG# 44 Gamescom Rabbit Hole Aug 24, 2016

Let's go down a rabbit hole to get caught up and lost in some Gamescom highlights. We get into RE7, Mafia 3, Nioh, and Nier. We also spend time with Red Dead theories. It's another long one, so grab a snack, and let's skip to the third date where we make sweet love to your ear holes.

YoVG# 43 Road Trip to Th'Ooker's Gash Aug 17, 2016

No Man's Sky has been polarizing upon its release. I didn't follow the game at all and I guess that's a blessing because thus far I really like it. I have some criticism but nothing major. Now that I hear there was supposed to be multiplayer, Starships to explore, and portals to find I realize why everyone is so mad. None of that exists as of now. Matt still has no interest, but I think he would get five or six hours of enjoyment from it. After that we move onto FFXV. It's been delayed and I can't understand why anyone cares. Personally I think it's an overcooked game and has very little chance of being any better than okay. Matt thinks it'll be an 8 out of 10 and has good reasons to back it up so there is still hope. Honestly, if you love Final Fantasy, you're going to love the game no matter what. Today's episode is long as hell. Cards on the table: there are some tangents and I didn't pay attention to the time. We'll be back to our usual 1 hour episodes next week but hopefully you enjoy the weird this week! Shine on!

YoVG#42 Put a Ring on it! Aug 10, 2016

This year marks big anniversaries for various beloved franchises. The problem is, there seems to be a distinct lack of recognition from most companies. Except Sega (Whhaaaa?) & Capcom. We talk some history, & shoot ideas for revitalizing these franchises! Strap in dudes, this is a long one. (Ha puns)

YoVG# 41 Talkin' Small Aug 03, 2016

Let's talk small developers and publishers! When it comes to smaller / low budget games it can be fifty/fifty on quality. That being said, smaller developers have the freedom to explore subjects and gameplay major publishers find too niche. We round out the episode with what hooks us on games and then finish up by answering listener questions. As always when you ask, we do our best to answer! Shine on!

YoVG# 40 Comicon and NX spectacle! Jul 28, 2016

I missed out on a lot of stuff while dealing with family emergencies. Matt's going to fill me in on what I missed. So this might be our first episode without a single subject. Thanks for your patience, and support during my horrid week. This isn't a normal episode but this is a pretty normal conversation. Around an hour in we start getting into KILLING JOKE SPOILERS, so be careful if that matters to you. Shine on dudes!

YoVG# 39: EVO 2016 Jul 20, 2016

We are back fresh from EVO 2016! Here's our favorite moments, thoughts on the event, and speculation as to how it can improve and grow in the future! I messed up though guys. I left the previous settings while recording another project and so Matt's channel is up a little louder than normal. He clips a few times and there is distortion. It's not terribly often, but forgive me. I am getting better with all this and I thank you guys for your patience while I learn. Shine on!

YoVG # 38 Pokemon Go and Nintendo's Mobile Future Jul 14, 2016

What is it that makes mobile so successful? If Pokemon Go continues to do this well, and is followed up by Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile... Will Nintendo be incentivized to jump deeper into mobile? If the NX ends up being weak and gimmicky I can only assume Nintendo will look to the growing mobile trend in Japan as a sign to move out of consoles. Matt is scared that's going to happen. Honestly though, I'm not sure it'd be a bad thing. Come hang out and find out!

YoVG# 37 The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of Western Game Development Jul 06, 2016

We're back to our evergreen episodes: today we dig into some history! We talk Western game development, pong, the 70's, and which on elf us is Smokey, and which one of us is Bandit! This is our second episode on the new equipment and I continue to tweak and play to get the best settings. I'm still working on soundproofing, so today you are treated to the soft barks of my neighbors dog yet again. Enjoy and don;t forget to let us know what you think!

YoVG# 36 E3 Final Thoughts Jun 29, 2016

First episode on the new equipment! Thank you so much to everyone that donated. Donations accounted for close to half the cost of the new equipment. Honestly guys any support, monetary or otherwise, means the world to us. Anyway, here is our final thoughts on E3: our best in show, disappointments and surprises. Shine on!

YoVG# 35: Losing Goodwill Jun 08, 2016

Kickstarter has been discussed here before, but now we have some updates on Mighty Number 9. There is a lot of promise to consumer funded games when you consider Game developers are no longer beholden to conservative and often baffling publishers. Things can get shady though, and we dive into that today.

YoVG# 34: Overwatch Rule 34 Jun 01, 2016

Overwatch is Blizzard's arcade shooter. Already beloved, Matt and I wonder if that will last and discuss what makes Overwatch so popular. Then we talk Rule 34. So... There's that. It's gonna get weird guys. Shine on!

YoVG# 33 Tale of Two Games May 25, 2016

Dood! What is best in life? Emotional experience or gameplay experience? Is the emotional roller coaster what draws you to a game or makes you love it? Or is it the gameplay itself, the running, gunning, adventure, and puzzles that do it for you? Today we talk this and more about Uncharted 4 vs Doom (2016)!

YoVG#32 Gaming Events May 18, 2016

Gaming Events like E3, and Playstation Experience are popular now but where did they come from and where are they going? We talk past, present and what we hope will be the future of gaming conventions and tournaments.

YoVG # 31 Game Melons! May 11, 2016

Let's talk Game Melons! That doesn't mean boobies (though it could). No, we're talking about games we loved in the day but did not age well. For what ever reason you go back now and the game does't hold up. I dump on a couple of big games here, but trust that I did it from a place of love. Shine on!

YoVG # 30 Between a Fox and a Furry Place May 04, 2016

Star Fox Zero was a let down in Matt's opinion. Granted he has been expecting this since playing the game at E3 last year. He has some good to say about the game, but overall found it a groan worthy experience. This sparked a conversation about aging franchises and how to revitalize them or if they even can/should be revitalized. Let us know what your thoughts!

Shine on!

YoVG # 29 Platinum Games Apr 27, 2016

Platinum Games! They were born from Capcom's Clover Studios, where they made off beat action games. After cutting ties with Capcom 10 years ago, they became one of the hardest working and most consistent studios in the business! Let's talk history, best games, and some nonsense to celebrate their ten years in the business and my first retro coach of Bayonetta!

YoVG# 28 Fanbase and Community Apr 20, 2016

Fandoms and communities in the gaming world come with their own intricacies, rules, etiquette and quirks. Do they add value to gaming in general? Are they valuable to game developers and publishers? Are they ignored? Matt has had his run ins with hard core fans losing their collective heads over one of his opinions. I on the other hand have had almost entirely good times with the different communities I've run into or hung out with. I don't know if I'd consider myself involved in any of them, but I do think I am a part of them in some way. Matt and I get into the quirks and values of gaming communities. Let us know your experiences on Twitter or Youtube!

Shine on!

YoVG #27 Producers Apr 13, 2016

Today's episode was born of the recent Rockstar debacle involving one of it's star producers. We take a minute to go into exactly what it is that producers do in the game industry, before discussing the details of this particular snafu. It makes us wonder just what will happen to the upcoming Red Dead game and what Rockstar's fate will be over all. Check it out!

Shine on!

YoVG #26 RPGs Apr 06, 2016

With the news surrounding Final Fantasy 15, it was time we talked about our favorite RPGs. Be they action or turn based (or in Matt's case John Cena based). Do you have a favorite RPG? Was it the first you ever played? Is it the standard by which you judge all other RPGs? We hit that and more in this week's episode!

Shine on!

YoVG # 25 BootiPhobia Mar 30, 2016

Yo! Videogames Hype Man and Dood Extraordinaire Steve joins Matt and I today to discuss the latest clash between PC-bros and Anti-SJWs! Overwatch developer Blizzard just agreed to remove a victory pose from the game for one of its female characters after a user reported that they found the pose sexual and out of character. This sparked a deeper conversation about possible hypersensitivity and whether or not it should be addressed.

Find Steve on twitter @INFINITE_SGE and give him love for being on the show!

Shine on Doods!

YoVG# 24: Easy Mode Mar 23, 2016

Is it a bad move to include an Easy Mode to your game? Does it defile the spirit of the game? Are you just a prick? We talk about all this and more on todays episode of YoVG Podcast! Shine on dudes!

YoVG# 23 The Death of E3 Mar 16, 2016

Ring the bells! Gather your loved ones! Dress all in black! E3 is dying before our eyes. It's only a matter of time until it's gone. Activision is the latest in the list of 3rd party publishers to pull out of E3(the others being Disney, EA and WarGames) With that loss, it seems like no one cares anymore. Today we share stories from our favorite times at E3 and then discuss possible ways to save it, if it should be saved at all.

Shine on!

YoVG# 22 Zelda Retrospective Mar 09, 2016

As we come to the end of our LoZ retrospective, Matt and I wanted to discuss some final thoughts and feelings on this now 30 year old franchise. We are currently going through Twilight Princess HD on Man Mode on my stream (that is: hero mode plus Ganondorf amiibo for 4x damage, and only boss hearts). And with a new Legend of Zelda looming this holiday season we wanted to address our favorite moments and what makes a Zelda game great. Matt is a die hard Zelda fan, surprise, and I'm more casual about it, another surprise. Thing is, I think for every gamer, casual or hard core, Zelda holds a special place. I give my reasons and Matt gives his. Let me know on Twitter what your favorite Zelda moments are! As always, Shine on!

YoVG#21 Microsoft: What's Next? Mar 02, 2016

Microsoft, or rather Phil Specter believes consoles will go the way of regular hardware updates (think XBONE, then a year and XBONE PLUS comes out) rather than 5 year generations. I don't like the sound of that, honestly. Means consoles will get a hell of a lot more expensive long term and honestly may kill the interest in consoles entirely. In addition to that beautiful idea, we talk about Windows/XBONE Spring 2016 line up. SPOILER: it's not that exciting.

Shine on dudes!

YoVG# 20 Main Characters Feb 24, 2016

Main Characters...

Do they have to be compelling in order to make the game great?

Do they have to be white males to do well in wide release?

Market research apparently says generic white males sell best but I have a hard time believing that when there are so many examples of female, and minority protagonist games performing wonderfully. Metroid being an example, or GTA San Andreas as another.

Let us now what you guys think, and as always, Shine on dudes!

YoVG#19 Let's talk Fighting Games w/ Maximilian Feb 17, 2016

Today let's get into some fighting game talk. Max gets a chance to join us and it couldn't be for a better episode.

And with Street Fighter V being released just a couple days ago (two days after recording), this topic couldn't be more on point.

We talk about what makes a fighting game great and what can be done to create a new IP that does well. I'm sure you guys have lots to say about this, so be sure to hit me up on twitter or Matt on Youtube. Especially, give a shout to Max and let him know we appreciate him on the show!

Enjoy, and Shine on!

YoVG # 18 Censorship Feb 10, 2016

(The following is my opinion in retrospect, with time to reflect. Matt doesn't have that opportunity. So, when I say my understanding of his opinion, please know I am only saying it in it's most boiled down form.)

Censorship is generally a shady proposition in my opinion. I don't like the idea of someone else deciding for me what I can or cannot see. I play devils advocate to Simmons this episode, but especially after the fact, I feel the need to clear something up.

That is: Art should never be censored. However, again in my opinion, something like a game totally about rape, is not art and I will never be bothered by it being censored. Simmons feels that if you censor anything, even something he considers to be revolting work, it can lead to serious problems in the future. I have to agree that censorship is a dangerous road, but I have a hard time reconciling the idea that we should just allow some honestly disgusting stuff to exist. Namely, a game about rape, or involving children in sexual exploitation, drawn or otherwise. I guess thats the debate though. It's a hell of a gray area.

All of that being said, I am open to the idea that I'm wrong here. Let me know what you think.

It's a heavy episode dudes, but worth the debate!

Shine on!

YoVG #17 Game Development Myths Feb 03, 2016

Game Development is surrounded by a veritable cloud of opinions. Buzz words and PR BS make it difficult to get a grip on the process of development and it leaves itself open to rampant speculation. I need to learn more about the process, so it's time to bust up some of those myths and clear up the misunderstandings.

YoVG# 17.5 Assist Me Stories Feb 03, 2016

Working on Maximilian's Assist Me Web series was a big part of my life for a few years. It became the first passion project our group of friends would work on together.

Matt was out of town this weekend, but it turned out Mike Young was in town. He played various characters on the show and designed their costumes, as well as a ton of the writing for the series. I've wanted to have him on the podcast for a while so we decided to tell some stories, or at least our side of the stories from the various Assist Me productions.

If you guys end up digging this bonus episode, I'll try and get Max and Simmons in on an episode to get their favorite/horror stories from the production. I'm sure they have plenty of insane things Mike and I missed/didn't see/don't remember.

If you haven't seen Assist Me, but are interested, check them out over on Max's Youtube Channel!

Shine on!

YoVG #16 Nostalgia Jan 27, 2016

Remember when you were a kid and you loved a game (or even a movie) so much that you played it over and over and over again? Then, you grew up and somewhere along the line, someone came to you and said "Buy this, it's just like that thing you loved."

And you did. You bought that game/movie/nudiemag. Was it like how you remembered? No. Someone took a huge dump on your memories right? Maybe it's your fault though.

Let's talk about nostalgia. It has pros and cons like anything. Maybe it is responsible for us not giving the love to games that deserve it, and maybe it's responsible for how we overlook the peanuts in a pile of crap we bought and played.

As always SHINE ON! And share and like and junk.

YoVG #15 - Trust Jan 20, 2016

Is there a development company or publisher you trust? By that I mean, you'll take what they say at face value, and trust that they are being upfront. Personally, i think it is perfectly fine to try and put your company in the best light. However, the urge to do that can lead to out right lies, some small, others massive. The quick example of a small lie? "We are delaying the game to make it look better/change a dynamic." And then it is delayed by a month or two. We all know that is just a tactic to put out a fire and fix an unexpected bug last minute. the game won't be drastically improved or changed because that simply isn't enough time to do anything of note.

That being said, there are a few companies we feel to be trustworthy overall. Let's dig in!

As always, SHINE ON DOODS!

YoVG #14 Twitch and Gaming Jan 14, 2016

How do you feel about Twitch? It's become a pillar of the gaming community, and an undeniable outlet for creatives. It's arguably replacing YouTube when it comes to gaming. Even to the point that YouTube has tried to launch it's own streaming service for gaming. So let's talk about our personal experience with streaming and what effect we think it will have on games in the future. Will single player thrive or fall? Personally, streaming has opened me up to games I never would have played, so I remain optimistic.

As Always, Shine on Doods!

YoVG #13 - Oculus Rift Jan 07, 2016

Oculus Rift dropped the line on its price tag finally ($599). Not surprising but a bit eye-popping! That price includes two games (Lucky's Tale and Eve: Valkyrie) and an Xbone controller. As a peripheral, this means you'll also have to drop a grand on a gaming PC. Now, I'm optimistic about the potential for VR today but holy hell... I won't be getting one of these for a long while if ever.

Let's debate the value of VR and if it's worth the money!

Shine on Doods!

YOVG Year in Review 2015 Dec 30, 2015

Happy New Year!

We forget to say that, but we mean it. You guys have been awesome and we look forward to growing and playing more games next year!

In this episode we go over what surprised us most this year, as well as our biggest disappointments. Of course, our answers are skewed because we are a small operation and we are telling you the truth as we see it. We didn't play all the games that deserved to be played and we probably missed something fantastic. Let us know.

Matt and I wish you all the best for the New Year and as always SHINE ON DOODS!

Episode 12 - Christmas Miracles! Dec 23, 2015

Do you remember that time you held out hope for miracles? Well, we're in the season for just that kind of hope! So, now's the time to list our Miracle Games. Will these games ever happen? I'd say probably not... Hell, definitely not for most of these. We're dreamers, folks. Come dream with us!

We're not just going to name the games we want to see, but we are going to debut our (sometimes) insane ideas for where these games could go. Let me know what you guys think, as always on twitter @Phunkmachine.

Shine on and Happy Holidays!

Episode 11 - Xbox Dec 16, 2015

Honestly, I haven't been interested in the Xbox One.

I was a big fan of the 360. I was even a fairly big fan of the Original Xbox. However, the Xbox One has had a total of zero first party games that got me excited enough to buy the system. It has a far superior controller compared to the PS4 but on any other front it seems Sony is kicking Microsoft's butt this generation. Can they make a come back? I think so. Matt thinks they'll only ever get to second place at best, but I have hope that they could give Sony a challenge. How do they do it? Beefing their first party titles, of course. Phil Spencer has said that's just what he intends to do, so we'll see. For now, we wait. I hope they go back to their classic IPs, and Matt hopes they'll throw money at old, forgotten, but beloved IPs. That will win us back and I think gamers everywhere will benefit from the battle between Sony and Microsoft.

Shine on!

Ep 10 - Play Station Expo! Dec 09, 2015

Everyone wants to talk about Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Is Square Enix going to drop the ball? More importantly, are they going to try and screw us? The latter seems pretty likely at the moment. What we can't figure out is how this company hasn't learned to be transparent yet!

FF7 remake -

Let's talk about the Possible Pros an episodic release presents:

It could be indulgent in environments, and cinematic presentation.

It may mean we can see the first episode within the next two years.

It may mean they won't cut anything, even mini-games.

Cons:

It may mean cutting the world map.

It may mean not being able to return to previous areas.

There's no clear definition by Square about what constitutes a "full length" game.

PR people tend to be full of crap, so nothing is assured.

After that, Matt fills us in on his game of show, and a couple other fun games that look like they have a lot of potential!

As always dudes, please rate and subscribe!

Shine on!

Episode 9 - Bad Games Dec 02, 2015

Ever wonder what makes a game bad?

Can those games still be fun?

Matt and I determine a quick criteria.

1. Controls

2. Design

3. Mechanics

Then we go at it over UNDENIABLE classics like Blasto. And other games he mentioned that don't really matter because Blasto had Phil Hartman.

Ok I'll tell the truth. I just now watched game play from Blasto and I'll be honest... it's pretty awful. Anyway, let us know what you guys think are some terrible games!

Shine on Doods!

Episode 8 - Our Must Play Games Nov 25, 2015

Do I have shooters in my list? You bet your sweet buns. Does Simmons have an obscure, mostly untranslated, Japanese game on his list? You bet those toasty tots. Does this list have a little bit for everybody? You better believe it, toots!

I'm a casual gamer. Everyone knows that now. I won't always have the deepest insight into a game's design. I'm competitive as all hell, so multiplayer games tend to draw me in. What I tried to do with my list was show a wide variety of games I loved and love still and think you'll love too. Sure, most of you have probably played most of these games, but if you haven't, here you go! If you have, let's talk about it!

Matt, as always, has a shocking amount of information about the games he picks and even the games I picked. My favorite thing about this episode is the moment we finished recording, Matt and I kept talking about the games and I wanted to change a few of my answers because I remembered others that should be on the list. I know you guys are going to have a field day with this, and honestly I want to hear what games you dig, and I'm always open to suggestions on what to play, so hit me up in the comments or on twitter!

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Episode 7 - Role Play with Cosby Nov 18, 2015

Matt doesn't find Western RPGs interesting. Worse yet, he calls them boring. Oblivion? Yawn. Skyrim? *jerks off* Fable? "Oh Fable's good."

HA caught him. I guess I don't have to Fus Roh Dah in his face... Or wear all this war paint. I mean, I definitely don't need this axe, but if we're honest I like it more than what's normal.

Anyway, this episode is all about new releases in time for the holidays. Such titles as Battlefront, Black Ops 3, and of course Fallout 4. The truth is, Matt isn't particularly excited about any of them. I'm pretty happy with Black Ops, but that may just be because I took a few years off the Call of Duty train. Battlefront is just OK. Heroes versus Villains mode can be a lot of fun. Otherwise, all of my comments from the beta still stand. That, combined with the glaring slap in the face that is a final price of $100 to get the full game (eventually) and we've got a bone to pick with EA.

Now, when it comes to Fallout 4 I'm finding two camps. You really don't care or you're amped as hell. Truth is, I don't feel either of those extremes. I enjoyed Fallout 3, and I've heard good things about 4. So, I'm going to rock it out. I'll let you know ASAP. Though, considering my plan to make Bill Cosby as my character, I think I'm going to have an inappropriate amount of fun.

Hit me up on twitter and let me know what you think!

Shine on Doods!

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Episode 6 - Resident Black Ops Nov 11, 2015

So, Call of Duty Black Ops 3 came out. I wanted to share how delightfully surprised I am. It isn't a total pile of garbage. The net code is pretty good, the guns are cool, and I will literally power-slide the shit out of any problem.

(UPDATE: there were some problems the day after we recorded this, but Treyarch released a patch the same night and cleared it up. Again, they seem to be on their shit this time around... I remain positive.)

After that, we move on to saving a popular franchise. Simmons has a pitch for how to save Resident Evil. Honestly it wouldn't be that hard except they may have to cut ties with all the bullshit they've done previously. Including much of the convoluted and often confusing story. Now, this isn't impossible. They did it for RE4 and that turned out FANTASTIC. It's one of my all time favorite games.

Simmons describes his story, and to me it sounds an awful lot like Tomb Raider (2013). And you know what? I dig it. It's a good idea. I loved Tomb Raider. Imagine if it had been darker and more horrific than adventure in tone. That game would have kicked ass as a survival horror.

Anyway, check it out Doods! Remember to rate, comment and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher.

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Episode 5 - Waiting for Sony... Nov 04, 2015

Sony had its big press conference at Paris Games Week! Guess what? Basically nothing new was said. Matt and I did a live reaction on Twitch but now we've had a few days to digest. We have to say... our initial reactions are pretty spot on. There were a couple things to be excited about, namely Wild and Horizon; As well as some mind numbing presentations that had the crowd checking their phones or rolling their eyes.

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Episode 4: NX rumors and Zelda Oct 28, 2015

Nintendo has been quiet this holiday season and we haven't heard anything about Zelda WiiU in forever. Matt and I have some thoughts on what's coming.

Check us out on iTunes and Stitcher!

Episode 3: Pachinko Paradise Oct 22, 2015

Konami has one of the worst reputations in gaming. They've driven away several of their star creators and have displayed a general lack of interest in expanding their videogame division. Now that Kojima has walked; this is the end. Light the fire Doods. We're cookin' Konami Burgers tonight.

Episode 2: Online Gaming Oct 22, 2015

Online Gaming: Love it or hate it, it's here to stay. But is an Online element absolutely necessary for a game to succeed? That's what we talk about today.

Episode 1: Chasing Sega Oct 22, 2015

Sega could have been beautiful! Or at the very least still relevant. Today we talk about our Nostalgia for classic gaming and Matt fills me in on just what happened to one of my favorite companies.

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