Critical Diversions

Critical Diversions

By Matt MurrayLeisureGames
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Critical Diversions episodes

  • Weekly Diversion 02/02/2024: Infinite Things to Say about Like a Dragon

    It's our first episode post release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Matt's here to exhaustively tell you all about it. We're also talking about Gravity Circuit, Paper Mario, the Playstation State of Play, and Ufouria: The Saga 2 on this week's diversion.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions

    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social

    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social

    The various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars
    Our break music this week was Blood on the Dancefloor from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, composed by Chihiro Aoki, Keitaro Hanada, Hyd Lunch, Hidenori Shoji, and many others!

    1 hr 31 min
  • Weekly Diversion 01/26/2024: My Wife Absconded With My Girlfriend To The Astral Plane

    Matt and his wife finished Baldur's Gate 3! And found out some hard truths about each other. We're also talking about Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic, Metroid Prime 4, and richest company in the world Microsoft laying off 2,000 people.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions

    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social

    Check out Matt's review of Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic!

    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social

    The various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all his cool stuff over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars

    Our break music this week was Zone 09: Lower Level from the video game Astral Chain, composed by Satoshi Igarashi

    1 hr 20 min
  • Games Club 012 - Yakuza: Like a Dragon

    Wilk, Seth, and Matt give their thoughts on both Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the first turn-based entry in the long-running handsome crime man simulator series, as well as Yakuza as a whole.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions

    Seth Sturgill on Twitter - @twodollarhero

    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social


    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social


    The Critical Diversions intro theme was made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his projects at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars
    Warmaker, Ounabara Vocational School (Main Menu), and Sad Substory 2 are all from the Yakuza: Like a Dragon OST, composed by Hidenori Shoji, Yuri Fukuda, Chihiro Aoki, and Saori Yoshida

    1 hr 49 min
  • Weekly Diversion 01/19/2024: We're So Back

    It's the first normal one of these in weeks, so let's talk about stuff like Cobalt Core, Baldur's Gate 3, and The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest like normal humans.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions

    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social

    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social

    All the various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out his entire plate of projects over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars
    Our break music this week was "Excess Express at Dusk" composed by Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko for the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door soundtrack.

    1 hr 21 min
  • Game of the Year 2023

    Seth, Boogs, Wilkins, and Matt get together to reveal and talk about their feelings on the community's top 10 games of 2023, as well as about half of all games that came out in 2023 seemingly, by the end of this three hour long double stuffed episode.

    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions

    Seth on Twitter - @twodollarhero

    All N on Twitter - @allnpodcast

    Checkout Seth's video essay on Tears of the Kingdom, as mentioned in the podcast!

    Garrett Bugay on Twitter - @garrettbugay

    Checkout Garrett's blog where he does all of his yearly media roundups!

    Dunkin' Dynasty on Twitter - @dunkindynasty

    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social


    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social


    The various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out his entire slate of projects over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars
    Our first break song this episode was Hateno Village (Day) from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, composed by
    Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui
    Our second break song this episode was flowing golden highway from Sephonie, composed by Melos han-tani.

    3 hr 8 min
  • Weekly Diversion 01/05/2024: The Chris Pine and Yokai Watch Fancast

    On the first episode of the new year, Matt's joined by his wife, Natascha, to talk about a whole bunch of stuff, including the new movie from Studio Ghibli, "The Boy and the Heron", an extensive breakdown on Coral Island, and why Baldur's Gate 3 is a cozy game, before giving a roundup of the games they're most excited for in 2024.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions

    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social

    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social

    Matt's game of the year list for 2023 (substack version)

    Matt's game of the year list for 2023 (tumblr version)

    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    The various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out his entire plate of projects over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars

    The break music this episode was Village Day 2, from Coral Island, composed by Yugo Pratomo

    1 hr 37 min
  • Weekly Diversion 12/29/2023: Midnight Murrattos

    It's the between Christmas and New Year's episode, so there's not much to talk about this week. Naturally, Matt still talked for over an hour about games like Octopath Traveler 2, Baldur's Gate 3, and Raccoo Venture, before going off on rants about Pokemon and Monster Hunter.

    Check out Matt's written review of Raccoo Venture, and check out the What's Wrong with Wolfie Podcast while you're there!


    There may or may not be Weekly Diversion episodes the next two weeks. If there are, Matt's wife Natascha will be joining him on them! And if not..........................then we'll see you in a few weeks!


    Critical Diversions on Twitter: @crit_diversions

    Matt Murray on Twitter: @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky: @mattmurray.bsky.social

    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter: @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky: @couchmochi.bsky.social

    The various Critical Diversions themes were made by Mic Fox. Check out his entire plate of projects over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars


    Our break music this week was Tarrey Town (Night) from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, composed by

    Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui

    1 hr 12 min
  • Weekly Diversion 12/21/2023: Always Be Ready to Grease Up

    It's a goof off week at Critical Diversions; not much new to talk about in the gaming sphere, so let's go over German Christmas Markets and Pornhub's 2023 video game porn search roundup. And of course some Baldur's Gate 3 talk on the side.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter: @crit_diversions

    Matt Murray on Twitter: @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky: @mattmurray.bsky.social

    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter: @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky: @couchmochi.bsky.social

    The various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out his entire slate of projects over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars


    Our break music this week was Fourside from Super Smash Bros. Melee, arranged by Hirokazu Ando and composed by Keiichi Suzuki.

    1 hr 19 min
  • Weekly Diversion 12/15/2023: The Ed Sheeran Of It All

    Confused by the rebranding of the weekly podcast from Critical Diversions? Don't be, it's the same dumb stuff, only now with a lot more Ed Sheeran than usual. Also some Octopath Traveler 2, Potion Craft, and Lego Fortnite talk, as well as the reveal of the Tekken 2 t-shirt Matt will be buried in. It's all here, right now, in this Weekly Diversion.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions


    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity


    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social


    Podcast art by Natascha Murray


    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi


    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social


    The various Critical Diversions theme songs were composed by Mic Fox. Check out his entire slate of projects over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars
    Our break music this week was Silent Assassin - Cool-Headed Mix (Nina Williams Theme) from Tekken 2, composed by Yoshie Takayanagi and Yoshie Awakawa

    1 hr 37 min
  • Games & News 12/08/2023: The Character Assassination of Geoff Keighley by the Coward Matt Murray

    Wanna hear Matt's take on the endless game announcements from this week, like Visions of Mana, Kind Words 2: Lo-Fi City Pop, and Duck Detective: The Secret Salami? Then you've come to the right place, brother.


    Critical Diversions on Twitter - @crit_diversions

    Matt Murray on Twitter - @shyguycity

    Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.social

    Podcast art by Natascha Murray

    Natascha Murray on Twitter - @couchmochi

    Natascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.social

    The various Critical Diversions theme songs were composed by Mic Fox. Check out his entire plate of projects over at

    Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on Mars

    Our break music this episode was "Try to Have Some Fun For Me!!" composed by Saori Yoshida and Mayumi Koizumi for Yakuza 0.

    1 hr 57 min

About Critical Diversions

From the publisher's feed

A games club podcast with a rotating cast that gets together semi-regularly to hang out and talk about games