Gamer Podcasts

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Been listening to GWJ Podcast for several months, always look forward to it each week. Any other podcasts you'd recommend that are in the same spirit as GWJ's?

Idle Thumbs was excellent though they've stopped making shows regularly. Those jerks with their "success" and "prestige."

Giant Bomb is excellent, even if googling "giant bombs" seems a bit suspicious these days.

Here's an example of their banter (specifically, about Batmen):

And here's a wonderful segment about their quote in The New Yorker:

The animation stuff isn't typical.

The best podcast out there is Giant Bombcast but I don't think it's as accessible as other podcast. Joystiq is similar. Rebel FM is probably the best comparison. They have the same topics(what they've been playing, middle segment then email's) and normally focus on the same things from a game as the GWJ guys. Weekend Confirmed is entertaining but Garnett has been annoying me lately. I quite like IGN's Gamescoop but that is more gaming news related but seeing as GWJ's don't get into that side it could be worth a listen and unlike the other podcasts I listed it's shorter.

Honestly I would recommend Rebel FM. It's very similar to GWJ and unlike some other's doesn't have as much in-jokes. Just try to catch a normal show as some of the guest one's might scare you off.

Check out Call of Podcast | iTunes. Here are a couple of reviews from the Australian iTunes store (my review is the first one):

A fun listen with intelligent insight into the Japan gaming industry.
by Mr GT Chris
Come for the review haikus. Stay for the gaming insight.

2 guys, one in Japan, one in the U.S., and their take on the state of affairs of gaming. Lonesteban, who currently works at Grasshopper's office in Tokyo, gives his insider perspective on developing games in Japan. Add anecdotes about life in Japan and a sprinkling of what they've been playing and you have a fun way to pass an hour every week.

Great podcast
by krank20
This is a good one. Two guys just talking video games. I like that there's no mad rush to be playing every single new release. Just what is floating their boat at the time. Really funny as well with lots of funny anecdotes of an american living in Japan. I like that they're into pc gaming as well rather than just purely consoles.

Nietzsche wrote:

Honestly I would recommend Rebel FM. It's very similar to GWJ and unlike some other's doesn't have as much in-jokes. Just try to catch a normal show as some of the guest one's might scare you off.

Especially the ones where the guests are their IGN co-workers, urgh. To be honest, Arthur is often a tool but you can't go past their relationship advice section towards the end of most episodes.

Nietzsche wrote:

Honestly I would recommend Rebel FM. It's very similar to GWJ and unlike some other's doesn't have as much in-jokes. Just try to catch a normal show as some of the guest one's might scare you off.

Rebel FM does go way off topic and sometimes quite crude with relationship talk, etc. So I wouldn't say it necessarily compares with GWJ CC. Just wanted to throw that warning out there.

I listen to it, but it's a bit of a different category.

Giant Bomb is probably my favorite similar podcast.

Another "grown up" game podcast I've started listening to is the Final Score podcast by comic artist Scott Johnson (Extra Life). Kind of like the CC, they aren't really industry insiders, just adult gamers.

I go hot and cold on Weekend Confirmed. It's got good content sometimes, but I'll admit I roll my eyes at times.

Yeah, Garnett has a lot of energy and enthusiasm but he is not everyone's cup of tea. There are a few podcasts I can't listen to because they have one person on staff who really kind of annoys me. Garnett's been that guy twice for me, now. I respect his work but I don't like to listen to him.

Cheapass Gamer has a podcast too though I'm on the fence about it. Shipwreck is a genuinely interesting and intelligent guy. Wombat is too, though I can see how his voice might not be for everyone. Cheapy himself can be trying. He's a huge fan of Howard Stern and seems to think that everyone likes that kind of shock humor, so he occasionally goes into very low brow territory. In a recent episode he sat there coming up with penis-themed pokemon names while Shipwreck and Wombat actually discussed the game. This the same episode where he was floored that he had the lowest SAT scores out of the three of them (he'd been sure he was either the highest or tied with Shipwreck), and concluded that Wombat scored so highly because they graded him on how gay he is. So, yeah.

Nietzsche wrote:

The best podcast out there is Giant Bombcast but I don't think it's as accessible as other podcast. Joystiq is similar. Rebel FM is probably the best comparison. They have the same topics(what they've been playing, middle segment then email's) and normally focus on the same things from a game as the GWJ guys. Weekend Confirmed is entertaining but Garnett has been annoying me lately. I quite like IGN's Gamescoop but that is more gaming news related but seeing as GWJ's don't get into that side it could be worth a listen and unlike the other podcasts I listed it's shorter.

Honestly I would recommend Rebel FM. It's very similar to GWJ and unlike some other's doesn't have as much in-jokes. Just try to catch a normal show as some of the guest one's might scare you off.

I would strongly recommend against Rebel FM, but I don't know, I'm aware that they're polarizing. Some people love them, others (including myself) can't make it through 5 minutes of an episode. I would strongly recommend Player One Podcast, those guys don't get enough credit, and put on an excellent show that I look forward to every week. I think Sophist Radio is pretty solid as well.

I put the CAG cast in the same category as RebelFM. Sometimes fun, but Cheapy's idol is Howard Stern, and it shows.

I like it, but also wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone looking for another GWJCC.

Jumping the Shark is really good. They are very similar in format to the GWJ CC.
Three Moves Ahead is a great podcast if you are into strategy games.

Three Moves Ahead is a great podcast if you're interested in strategy games and it has some overlap with GWJ since it's now hosted by Rob Zacny and Julian is a regular panelist. Many episodes go into things like wargames that I never touch and can sometimes be a chore to listen through, but often enough there are more relevant episodes that are just great discussions.

Personally I also listen to GWJ and Weekend Confirmed. I tried to squeeze in Giant Bombcast but both it and WC are just too long to listen to both in the same week. I found WC is more focused on gaming discussion while GB has too much rambling. I do however like Giant Bomb's Quick Look video segments, it's the reason I check in to their site from time to time.

Jumping the Shark & Joystiq. Joystiq is the only gaming 'cast that actually makes me laugh.

I gotta give Giant Bomb another shot. Everyone seems to like it. My vague memory of it is men who sound fat sweating over a microphone that they're too close to. Or maybe that was a Vicodin dream I had.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Cheapass Gamer has a podcast too though I'm on the fence about it. .

If you're looking for something like a more intelligent version of the CAGCast, you could do worse than check out Call of Podcast which I mentioned above. With the Japan focus there is definitely some overlap (plus the classic "blow-off corner" segment), but also more PC talk.

Slumberland wrote:

I gotta give Giant Bomb another shot. Everyone seems to like it. My vague memory of it is men who sound fat sweating over a microphone that they're too close to. Or maybe that was a Vicodin dream I had.

Yeah, Giant Bomb are like the frat boys of gaming podcasts. Loud, in your face, talk a lot about sports drinks (don't know if they still do that). Sure enough, I don't like GB much :). I prefer Weekend Confirmed, they can be loud and argumentative but the discussion almost always comes off as more intelligent.

Say what you will about the website, but Gamespot's Hotspot podcast is pretty entertaining in my opinion. I can't stand Garnett Lee so consider a negative recommendation from me on Weekend Confirmed.

If you're looking for something that's like GWJ in terms of the tone of the conversation and the subject matter, I'd put forward Jumping the Shark and the Experience Points podcast. The latter usually focuses a bit more on one idea or story for the week, but they both approach games in a way that balances lighter, humorous discussion with more serious analysis.

As far as more general podcast recommendations can go, I don't think you can really do better than Three Moves Ahead, especially if you're a fan of strategy games. 8-4 Play is another "specialist" podcast that focuses on Japanese gaming, but the crew (which includes 1UP alums Mark MacDonald and John Ricciardi) does a good job of framing the topics for a more general audience.

Aside from the ones mentioned already (I REALLY like weekend confirmed I have to say - apart from their terrible taste in music for the breaks):

Some of the Frogpants Network podcasts are pretty good (depending on how you feel about Scott Johnston, since he's in about 90% of them ) The main game-related ones (not MMO specific) would be The Final Score , but I would also recommend trying out Ladies of Leet as well, for an all-girl perspective.

I also quite like Gamespot's UK podcast (I haven't listened to the US one in years, but the UK one is worth a listen, they often have fairly interesting interviews and guests).

Couple of other UK podcasts worth a try are Gamerdork and Midlife Gamer - although be warned, the latter can descend into crudeness at a moments notice (i'd skip their twitter section, for example) which is a shame, because a lot of the rest of it is fine. The PC Gamer UK podcast is also good, but they are monthly since they put them out around the magazine schedule. Not so much a fan of the PC Gamer US podcast myself.

casual_alcoholic wrote:

I would strongly recommend against Rebel FM, but I don't know, I'm aware that they're polarizing. Some people love them, others (including myself) can't make it through 5 minutes of an episode.

This. Rebel FM is way too crude, and not even in a funny or amusing way. They're just nasty for the sake of nasty. I dropped them after a month or two of feeling embarrassed about wasting the bandwidth to download their shows. Pity too - because they know their shit when they're on topic.

The only other gaming casts I listen to aside from GWJ are:

The Game Informer Show - Really well done, and better than expected for a corporate cast. I enjoy their take on the games they've been reviewing, as well as discussions about industry trends and advances.

GameBurst - Two 30 minute shows a week. The Sunday show is always a news show, while the Thursday show rotates between a monthly quiz, a roundtable, and a replay episode. Also - they're British which is always a plus in my mind.

More votes for Irrational Interviews and Out of the Game. Out of the Game is just intelligent discussion about seemingly random topics from guys that we love from previous podcasts (mainly GFW Live). Irrational Interviews is damn interesting and the podcasts don't really date so you can go back and listen to all the old episodes.

I also listen to:

Final Score
The Game Informer Show
1UP.com - Active Time Babble (great for rpgs but now defunct(?))
1UP.com - Games, Damnit! (I wasn't a fan of 'in this thread')

Higgledy wrote:

1UP.com - Games, Damnit! (I wasn't a fan of 'in this thread')

So it's actually better? I got to where I didn't care, so deleted the feed. It was just boring and didn't seem to have a voice.

Oh, I also like listening to British people talk about games, so I listen to anything that the One Life Left crew puts together (and they're doing a great series called No Continues with a larger roster that examines three thematically or genre related games per episode) and a 'cast called Midlife Gamer put out by two guys who are just really positive and excited about games, genuinely seem to be good friends, and do a nice long show that makes the work hours float by.

AndrewA wrote:
casual_alcoholic wrote:

I would strongly recommend against Rebel FM, but I don't know, I'm aware that they're polarizing. Some people love them, others (including myself) can't make it through 5 minutes of an episode.

This. Rebel FM is way too crude, and not even in a funny or amusing way. They're just nasty for the sake of nasty. I dropped them after a month or two of feeling embarrassed about wasting the bandwidth to download their shows. Pity too - because they know their shit when they're on topic.

I think they're ok so long as you only listen to the first half when they talk about games. Soon as they start answering 'reader questions' then it's time to switch it off.

stevenmack wrote:

The main game-related ones (not MMO specific) would be The Final Score

I really need to give this a try. I was a big fan of Extralife Radio, but didn't follow what SJ was doing after they stopped ELR. My wife started listening to his netflix movie podcast Film Sack this morning on the way to work and said it's hilarious.

stevenmack wrote:

I think they're ok so long as you only listen to the first half when they talk about games. Soon as they start answering 'reader questions' then it's time to switch it off.

Or vice versa :). Sometimes Rebel FM's game discussion is really annoying. In the most recent episode "Most gamers wouldn't know a good story if it *something-ed* them up the ass". So, is he insulting me, the listener, or am I one of the lucky few who apparently know what a good story is? That's actually a pretty tame example.

I'd like to second/third/fourth the Giant Bombcast, DGRadio (although it isn't much of a gaming podcast anymore), Rebel FM, The Gamespy Debriefings, and The Geekbox. (See Budo's post for more information you filthy skimmers.)

Retronauts is another gaming podcast I'd recommend, although its recent resurrection has turned it into a call-in show. Hosted by the self-deprecating and oddly charismatic Jeremy Parish, the older episodes (73 in all) typically cover a single retro-gaming topic for about 90 minutes. It's fascinating to listen to, particularly when they talk about games/systems you've never played or even heard of.

casual_alcoholic wrote:

I would strongly recommend against Rebel FM, but I don't know, I'm aware that they're polarizing. Some people love them, others (including myself) can't make it through 5 minutes of an episode. I would strongly recommend Player One Podcast, those guys don't get enough credit, and put on an excellent show that I look forward to every week. I think Sophist Radio is pretty solid as well.

The problem with Rebel FM is that Arthur is... He's like an amalgam of "that guy" who ends up at a party that no one really likes. He's got this faux depth, has some sort of false sense of moral high-ground, and is overall a buzz kill. Nobody's really sure who invited him either, and anyone talking to him is too polite to point out what an obnoxious twat he is.

One I like is the YoGPoD. The two guys who run the Yogcast YouTube channel (They make tons of Minecraft and World of Warcraft videos.) It's updated completely and utterly randomly, and has nothing to do about games 100% of the time, but it is run by gamers. It's full of a certain type of British wit. It's more of a general celebration of geekiness, and the sort of bullshit you might hear people talking about late at night on ventrilo somewhere.

For example, Simon had previously been talking about having been caught not paying his TV tax (In Britain, you have to pay a yearly fee for the BBC, if you own a television.) People didn't believe him, so there was a follow-up segment.

On RebelFM, while I don't always agree with Arthur, he's grown on me a bit. Tyler on the other hand...

Well, here's one I know nobody else listens to here

Ingame Chat

MannishBoy wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

1UP.com - Games, Damnit! (I wasn't a fan of 'in this thread')

So it's actually better? I got to where I didn't care, so deleted the feed. It was just boring and didn't seem to have a voice.

I did the same during the 'In this Thread' days. Games, Damnit! isn't the most focused podcast in the world but it's funny sometimes and I enjoy the chat.

Here's my list. I listen to each of these regularly when I can.

There's this one called the GWJCC. It's pretty good I guess, I've only listened to every episode. I love the cameraderie these fellas have, and the fact that a bunch of them are parents resonates with my lifestyle.

G4TV has a couple of video podcasts that are actually pretty good. Feedback has a nice hour podcast, but the download is often pretty large (250+ MB). Sessler's Soapbox is a nice gaming editorial for 5 minutes, and The MMOReport has just enough stupid and cheesy to satisfy me for 5 minutes without feeling dirty.

If you love strategy games, you must listen to Three Moves Ahead. It is so mandated.

The GiantBombcast is a fundamental gaming podcast. It covers every platform, is hilarious thanks to the hosts' comedic timing (see above), but is a bit long at over 2 hours. Great for a long drive or if you don't mind dividing up your time.

If you want a highly focused, strictly timed podcast, check out The Mobcast and The PCGamer podcast. Both are regularly about one hour long and have specific formats. The Mobcast gathers 3-4 people in the gaming industry for a round-table discussion of topics of the guests' choosing. PC gamer's podcast is strictly PC gaming (duh), but they hit everything newsworthy going on for that platform. Since I am strictly a PC gamer, this one suits me just fine.

If you prefer a "friends hanging out talking about games" format similar to GWJ, maybe you'd like RebelFM, The Geekbox, and The Gamespy Debriefings.

RebelFM has 3-4 hosts (2 of which are roomates where the podcast usually is recorded, complete with a housecat that distracts them). They have well-thought insights into their reviews of certain games. Also, they actually give pretty decent relationship advice to listeners who write in at the end. This one is a bit long (usually 2 hours), but worth it. Yes, they are very polarizing, but I don't really mind all that much. It's just a few guys with different points of view from my own, so I'm cool with that.
The Geekbox has former 1-up employee Ryan Scott hosting a general nerdery podcast (from his friend's comic book store no less). They cover games, comics, TV shows, movies, and anything else involved in geek culture.
You are either going to love or hate The Gamespy Debriefings. Four Gamespy employees (including Ryan Scott, and Rebel FM's Anthony Gallegos) talk about TV, movies, nerd/geek culture, sex, booze, music, comics, bad T-shirts, and sometimes (ie rarely) games. Definitely worth a couple of listens to see if you like it. I think it's hilarious, and it's a pretty quick listen at under an hour.
Drunken Gamers Radio (DGR) is also a funny podcast, and you'll often hear a Goodjer guest on the show. But they don't regularly discuss games anymore. Still, give it a try.

QuartertoThree has two interesting podcasts. Love him or hate him, Tom Chick hosts a great Gaming podcast where he interviews one guest from his forum. First we get to know the forum guest, and then they discuss a game that the guest selected. Tom has this ability to make anyone he is interviewing feel special and interesting - it's really an amazing talent. Even better is his Movie podcast. Tom, along with Kelly Wand, and Christian (Mukowski?) discuss a movie they agreed to see that week, and follow this with a 3 by 3, where each presents a top 3 list of that week's movie topic.

Two podcasts from gaming studios that are well-produced but infrequently posted are Irrational Interviews and the Blizzcast. For II, sometimes the podcast focuses on the studio's culture, and sometimes Irrational founder Ken Levine picks someone he finds interesting (in or out of gaming) and creates a fascinating, insightful discussion. The Blizzcast sticks solely to members from their studio and only their products. It's tightly scripted - sometimes you can envision the interviewer reading the questions off of the page - but it gives you some fascinating insights into how the Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo franchises were developed and continue to evolve.

These rarely post, but when A Life Well Wasted and Out of the Game appear, they are must-listen podcasts. Their average posting is once every 3-4 months.

Finally, if you can find them, listen to the old GamesforWindows podcasts (aka GFWradio or The Brodeo). They've been finished for a couple of years or so now, but they remain the gold standard of any gaming podcast out there.

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