In this episode Gino sits down with game design college graduates M Palladino and Tyler Morgan to discuss their journeys through NYU's game design program and The Guild Hall. We discuss what it takes to get into a game design program, what those programs entail, and what lessons M and Tyler learned during their times in school. We then talk about the costs and job prospects facing people who opt to take this path to the game industry. We finish up with rapid-fire questions as always!

You can follow M at @GamemakerM

In this episode Gino, Billy, and Pete discuss Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. We cover the game's unique control scheme and how it manages to make rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time work for a few hours. We then discuss the game's great environments and wordless character building. We wrap up by discussing how effectively Brothers addresses loss, it's not so subtle misogyny, and how it mechanizes moving on.

In this episode Gino, Chris "ZombiePie" -REDACTED-, and special guest Jeff Rud get together to discuss Final Fantasy I. It's back to basics for us! We start the show by ranking FFX-2 Last Mission in our pantheon of FF games (spoilers: it's not a good game!). We then discuss the historical context of FFI and the games that came out around it. We finish up by diving deep on the first few hours of FFI.

In this episode Gino talks to Alex -REDACTED- about his time as a competitive Magic: the Gahtering player. We discuss his strong finish at US Nationals and the Columbus STG Open. We then pivot to discussing Rivals of Ixalan cards that have us excited. We wrap up with some rapid fire questions!

In this episode Billy, Gino, and Pete discuss Cuphead! We discuss the game's sometimes frustrating mechanics, beautiful art, and excellent character design. We then discuss how a game that references art that predates our grandparents can still make us feel nostalgia. 

In this episode Gino, Billy, and Pete take listener emails and say goodbye to 2017.

In this episode Gino, Billy, and Pete discuss Battlerite, a game that blends the MOBA and fighting game genres while removing most of the arcane nonsense that comes from each. We discuss how the game manages to distill the fun of a MOBA while avoiding some of the complexities and time-wasters that plague the genre. We also discuss the game's free to play scheme and how seemingly fair it is. We wrap things up by discussing the game's balance and whether tier lists are an appropriate way to pick characters. Be sure to send in your comments for next week's all email episode! [email protected]

In this episode Gino, Pete, Billy, and Chris "ZombiePie" -REDACTED- discuss the games that defined our year! There are laughs. There are tears. There are fights. But most of all, there's love. Here are the categories for this year:

Best Comedy

Best Drama

Best Horror

Best Action

Best Adventure

Best Character

Best Soundtrack

Prettiest Game

Best Performance/Voice Acting

Best Mechanic

Worst Story

Best Twist

Game of the Year 2017

Gino's Platypus Award for Game That Should Not Be

Billy's Grindfather Award

John Paul Sartre Memorial Award for Game That Best Expresses the Ultimate Futility of the Human Condition

Bonus subcategory: Anthropocene Award for Game that most horrifyingly portrays a problem with modernity:

ZP's "Help I'm Trapped in Sysiphean Torment" Award

Game of Our Year 2017

In this episode Gino, Pete, and a special guest discuss The Binding of Isaac! We talk about the gross aesthetic, the fun gameplay, and the interesting items in the game. We also cover the somewhat diminishing returns of the game and its focused goals. Be sure to get emails in for our upcoming email show! [email protected] and deeplistens.libsyn.com

In this episode Gino and Chris "ZombiePie" -REDACTED- discuss Doki Doki Literature Club: the cutest psychological horror game around! We discuss the game's subversive structure and how it gets a rise out of people. We then have a hard discussion about the game's invocation of mental illness and self-harm. We go deep into spoiler town in this one!