cough*Control Point*cough

Its still amusing, but they don't actually discuss anything like, say, content. I think the problem is that they set their sights too narrow: it would be hard for anyone to talk about TF2 for years and remain enthusiastic about it.

There are a few I would recommend however:

Dial A Stranger - Interesting show where they call random people and ask them questions. Deeper than it sounds.

Galactic Watercooler - This is a good example of a podcast that survived past when it should have. It started As Galactica Watercooler (as in Battlestar Galactica) but they have expanded to sci-fi in general and continue to discuss weighty issues from various shows and movies in an interesting way.

I thought this post was going to be about last week's conference call, when Julian would occasionaly slip into speaking like a Decepticon.

Back on topic though, I hear you - there's few podcasts that remain in my rotation.

ListenUP has been spotty of late, but it's one of my mainstays, if only for the amount of forward-looking news and discussion on upcoming releases.

RebelFM got deleted a month or so ago. It started out interesting, and quickly devolved into tedium.

Perhaps one of the keys for long-term podcasting is to maintain low expectations? I've been listening to the CAGcast for a couple of years, and it's never anything more than puerile and mediocre. As a result, I never expect more, and I'm never disappointed.

I've noticed that RebelFM's quality seems to depend on the energy level of the crew. Whenever they sound tired and run down is when the show is most interesting (to me). The conversation tends to stick to the subject of games. When they're all wound up the chat often devolves quickly into poop and penis jokes. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I don't generally find it as interesting much of the time.

It's an old story, but 1Up has bled so much talent since 1Up Yours was at its high point, that it's no surprise that it's slid. I can't bring myself to unsubscribe, but I often don't finish them now, and I even will call up one of the classic old 1Up Yours or GFW Radio eps instead. I use them as soundtracks for games like Fallout and Red Faction.

I stopped listening to Rebel FM too. Conference Call is really the only gaming podcast I look forward to right now, although I'm giving test drives to Idle Thumbs, Rock Paper Shotgun, and Three Moves Ahead.

I enjoy Geekbox quite a bit. Its wierd too because they have one of the whinest, most annoying people i have ever heard. I do like it though. Its less about games and more of a pop culture type thing though. Its been fairly consistant in what it offers.

I am amazed at Rebel FM. There was a time it was #1 on itunes. It was setup to be a monster. Somehow it turned into an unguided mess of poop jokes and immaturity.

I am going to check out Giant Bombcast and idle thumbs based on some recommendations.

Listen Up needs to find good 4th chair. Garnett is a good host. John Davison is one of the best at analyzing and explaining industry trends and practices along with his view on games. Dave Ellis is decent as the "hardcore" gamer. They need someone as a 4th chair with a unique perspective. Patrick Klepic was good. I think they should give Matt Leone a shot. It seems like they want Sam Kennedy, but I hope not. He is kind of bland.

My favorite gaming podcast is Idle Thumbs. It's always quality. They are a little different too because they aren't focused on new releases and playing the new hot game. They have about 30 episodes so far. I think they scrapped one or two episodes they recorded because they sucked. The host of Idle Thumbs, Chris Remo, is on The Conference Call this week, so i hope it leads to more people checking out Idle Thumbs.

I think the Mobcast has potential. They only have about 10 episode so far, but they have a little different format and I think it will be great when it hits its stride.

I listen to the Listen Up podcast once in a while. I like the English guy whose name I can't remember.

This show, Giant Bomb, VGNRadio and Drunken Gamers Radio are all consistent with their quality of shows.

Truth

I listen to a lot of podcasts to get me through the night at work and the best and most consistent is most definitely the conference call. I would also go along with several of the posters and recommend Drunken Gamers, Giant Bombcast, the Geekbox, and the Mobcast. Some of my other favourites are Gamespot Present the Hotspot and the IGN output of Gamescoop, Beyond and 3 Red Lights (though this is mainly for entertainment value rather than news or discussion)

I have tried a lot of others and after giving each several episodes to try to hook me I find that the main thing that puts me off is how although each are group efforts, one voice generally dominates and the others in the group defer to them which becomes very tedious very quickly, the latest to do this to me is In Game Chat.

I have also tried Three Moves Ahead and although I enjoy the concept of the show I've found myself toying with the unsubscribe button purely because of the superior attitude of the hosts. I excuse Rabbit from this though as he comes across as the same down to earth guy as he is on the conference call.

I think that any kind of podcast is going to have peaks and troughs in standards and sometimes it's worth giving a new show a good 5 or 6 episodes (if you can afford the time) before you can really decide on it's quality and whether it's for you or not.

I'm not sure either, but the one thing I do know is that the audio quality is consistantly bad.

I would like to suggest the EA podcast, hosted by Jeff Green. He had his friend Dana, not gonna try that last name. Some of his tangents remind me of Garnett having to beg and steal to get people on.

This week had more shop talk than many might like. But if they can take advantage of all the awesome personalities at EA, then it will be a very good podcast-Paul Barnett, Rod Humble, Peter Moore.

Part of your issue might be repetition. Rebel FM, Giant Bomb, 1up have a lot of overlap. Often you will hear the same news and impressions 3 or 4 times a week. It is rather like Watching MSNBC, Fox, CNN and all they do is throw up what Reuters or AP posts.

Also, gaming podcasts suffer in the summer. Not a lot of new stuff to talk about. This is when Rebel FM's backlog or Giant Bomb's endurance runs need to carry the show.

That is an instant add for me just on the strength of Jeff Green. He is awesome.

My favorite podcast right now is Jordan, Jesse, Go! It's two of the most charming improv comedy guys talking about whatever comes to their minds. It's a lot like You Look Nice Today (and the hosts of both are all friends), except its based more on self-deprecation of the hosts' personal lives, reviews of things they've seen/done, and conversations with comedians and entertainers they bring on to guest host. They are the friendliest, funniest people I listen to via podcast, audio quality is stellar, and they have high-five contests and their very own Boner Society. What more do they need?

Out of the Game is put out every 2 weeks roughly so don't look for it every week. The production is horrible but the cast is so full of awesome that I feel compelled to download it. Much like the conference call each member is distinct and brings their own voice to the table.

The 1up podcasts are structured well and Garnett Lee is a decent host but the show is rarely...I dunno...different. It just feels sort of bland. I think without Garnett Lee there the podcast would consist of 1 hour of white noise with an occasional nervous cough or titter. He seems like the only one that has a distinct personality.

Geekbox I still listen to occasionally to kill time but the fixation on BUrn Notice and Lost causes me to skip large chunks of it. I don't know how long I'll keep listening to it.

Drunken Gamers is a fun broadcast and is dependably amusing.

You gotta mix in some non-gaming casts though.

I assume everyone here knows about "This American Life". If you listen to only one podcast it should be this one.

I just discovered Dan Carlin's Hardcore History. Holy sh*t is this podcast cool. I think back on my college history classes and lament that I couldn't get someone who had a passion for history like this guy. This show is insightful and eye-opening. Several of the episodes have made me rethink my positions not only on things that happened in the past, but on what is happening today. Dan Carlin not only goes over the history but ties it in to modern day relevance.

Word. It's good stuff.