Episode S5E23: The Brothers Mario, Part 4

It began with Mario, and we'll end with Mario. We talk about many of the offshoot Mario games including Mario Kart, Mario Party, and the myriad sports titles as we wrap up both our 30th anniversary celebration of Super Mario and our 5th season of DLC. Ep S5E23

Episode S5E22: On Gaming Journalism

Wyatt from the gaming blog Sprites and Dice takes over the host's chair and engages the panel in a wide-ranging discussion about many aspects of gaming journalism: reviews (and the bias therein), opinion pieces, writing about experiences, and more. All music used belongs to their respective games/developers/composers/studios/etc. Ep S5E22

Episode S5E21: Enter Sony, Part 3

The final episode of our 20th anniversary celebration of the original PlayStation highlights some of the genres that the system was known for, particularly RPGs. We throw some more survival horror, action, fighting, and even sports titles to our list of recollected games. All music used belongs to their respective games/studios/composers/developers/inc. Ep S5E21

Episode S5E20: Holiday Lineup 2015

Brian and Ron take a look through this year's lineup of holiday releases, talk about them, and also look ahead to what's due in 2016. Brian also goes on a bit of a Square Enix rant in the second half. All music belongs to their respective games/composers/studios/developers/etc. No copyright infringement intended. Ep S5E20

Episode S5E19: The Test Of Time

We go back to the nostalgia well to talk about games that we feel have aged well, as well as games that have failed the test of time. NOTE: this was the 100th episode recorded, but the 99th to be broadcast. All music used belongs to their respective games/composers/studios/developers/etc. Ep S5E19

Episode S5E18: Games In Other Media

In Season 1, we devoted an episode to movies based on video games and their abysmal track record. But what about adapting games to other media, such as comic books, graphic novels, full-length novelizations, and even TV shows? On episode 99 of DLC, we take a look at these other adaptations and see how they fare. All music used belongs to their respective games/studios/publishers/developers/composers/etc. No copyright infringement is intended. Ep S5E18

Episode S5E17: Free Play 10.0

On the final Free Play episode of 2015, three panelists making their DLC debuts give us some new topics of open discussion: from the fate of the Metal Gear Solid series now without Kojima, to Pokemon, a look at the state of eSports, first-person exploration games, and much more. It's a packed 2+ hours. All music used belongs to their respective games/composers/studios/developers/etc. Ep S5E17

Episode S5E16: The Brothers Mario, Part 3

On part 3 of our 30th anniversary celebration of the Super Mario franchise, we delve into the most recent releases: New Super Mario Bros on the DS, 3DS, Wii, and Wii U, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, 3D World and 3D Land. We also speculate about the future, and talk about Super Mario Maker as well. All music used belongs to their respective games/studios/developers/composers/etc. Ep S5E16

Episode S5E15: The Kisareth Empire

In response to a fan's request, we decided to sit down with a few of the awesome people over at indie game developer Kisareth Studios. We talk about they came to be, their Chronicles of a Dark Lord series, and their plans for the future. All music used belongs to their respective games/composers/studios/developers/etc. Ep S5E15

Episode S5E14: Free Play 9.0

Summer rolls on, and with it, comes out second Free Play episode of the year. On it, we bat around such topics as China ending its 15-year old ban on game consoles, professional gaming instituting a drug-testing policy, speculating on Nintendo's NX, and more. Ep S5E14

Episode S5E13: Thank You, Mr. Iwata

We talk about the late Satoru Iwata, 4th president of Nintendo, who died suddenly in July 2015. On this episode, we discuss his contributions not just to Nintendo, but to gaming as a whole. Ep S5E13

Episode S5E12: Free Play 8.0

Ron, Ryan, Nick, and Brian have an open discussion and give their thoughts on a variety of gaming topics in the first of this season's Free Play episodes--what they're currently playing, 3D gaming, the final numbers of the Steam summer sale, and more! All music used belongs to their respective games/composers/developers/studios/etc. Ep S5E12

Episode S5E11: E3 2015

Now that we've had a few weeks to take it all in, we look at all the highlights from this year's E3 and give you our thoughts on the reveals, announcements, and news. What are we looking forward to? Find out here. All music used belongs to their respective games/studios/publishers/composers/etc. No copyright infringement is intended. Ep S5E11

Episode S5E10: The Battle For The Past

On this episode, we discuss the current dispute going on between the EFF and the ESA: should video games be legally allowed to be preserved and played after the companies who host these games shut down those servers, or should they forever be consigned to history in the name of anti-piracy? All music used belongs to their respective games/studios/developers/composers/etc. Ep S5E10

Episode S5E9: Enter Sony, Part 2

Part 2 of our PlayStation 20th Anniversary series rolls on, with more nostalgia and fond recollections from the PS1 era. All music used belongs to their respective games/developers/composers/studios/etc. Ep S5E9

Episode S538: Chrono Time

Just 3 weeks before the PlayStation launched in the US, a game was released for the SNES that to this day remains one of the greatest games of all time. For many, it is considered the perfect game: the perfect balance of story, characters, gameplay, and music. And we couldn't agree more. On this episode, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Chrono Trigger. All music used belongs to their respective games/studios/composers/developers/etc. Ep S538

Episode S5E7: The Brothers Mario, Part 2

On the second episode of our yearlong celebration of 30 years of Super Mario Bros, Brian and Ron talk and reminisce over the 5 major games released over the SNES, N64 and Gamecube: Super Mario World 1 & 2, Super Mario RPG, Mario 64, and Mario Sunshine. All music used belongs to their respective games/composers/studios/developers/etc. Ep S5E7

Episode S5E6: In Defense of Short Games

Too often gamers associate cost of a video game to a game's length, feeling that if you pay $60 for a game, you should get a ton of play out of it. Sometimes, though, quality of a game trumps quantity, which can sometimes be an unpopular opinion. Agree or not? Ep S5E6

Episode S5E5: Enter Sony, Part 1

The result of a relationship where Sony ended up spurned and betrayed by Nintendo, the PlayStation marked Sony's entrance into the video game world. No longer was it just Nintendo and Sega fighting for gamers' dollars. And with it, Sony generated massive success. With much improved graphical capabilities over its competitors, disc-based games, and an incredible library, Sony proved it was playing for keeps. On the first of a multi-part series, we go down memory lane again, celebrating the 20th anniversary of PlayStation's US release. Ep S5E5

Episode S5E4: PAX East 2015

At the 6th Penny Arcade Expo (East) in Boston, MA., it was another 3-day weekend of relentless stimulation. Developers from triple-A to indie all showed off their latest, the concerts were great, and much swag was gained. But between all the caffeine-binging and shininess of it all, some new things came to PAX: the addition of an e-sports arena and a lounge devoted entirely to cosplayers, to name a couple of things. On this episode, the five of us recap our own personal sights, sounds, and experiences of another 3-day romp known as PAX East. All music belongs to their respective games/composers/developers/studios/etc. Ep S5E4

Episode S5E3: Broken Games

Wyatt and Ron join Brian and they discuss the growing trend of broken video games. Games are being sold to consumers that are loaded with glitches or just outright incomplete, often requiring a myriad of patches that must be downloaded as soon as the game is popped in for the first time. How can the industry address that? All music used belongs to their respective games/developers/composers/studios/etc. Ep S5E3

Episode S5E2: Just Stop It Already

What is it about video game developers that grind our gears? Is it the fact that many keep using the same mechanics that frequently annoy us, like not being able to pause or skip really long cut scenes? Is it tacked-on multiplayer to artificially inflate a game's length? What about DRM? On this episode, we rant about the things that developers frequently do that piss us off. All music used belongs to their respective games/developers/composers/studios/etc. Ep S5E2

Episode S5E1: The Brothers Mario, Part 1

It began 30 years ago, when the character known as Jumpman from Donkey Kong got his own game, and was given a brother decked in green. The Brothers Mario still are going strong three decades later, and show no signs of stopping. It's how we'll begin Season 5 of DLC, celebrating this fun franchise that'll continue all year long. Naturally, one must start at the beginning. It's the start of the ultimate nostalgia trip for many of us. Let's go down the warp pipe. All music belongs to their respective games/studios/developers/composers/etc. Ep S5E1