Fear me, I've listened to hundreds of Podtor Whocasts! Fear me, I've listened to all of them! C.C. (ccmcloughlin.com) returns as we lift the lid on an episode we all honestly do not really like that much, delve into the strange world of mid 2010s Hugo Award nominees, and tackle the world of nostalgia-based storytelling head-on as we all meet The Doctor's Wife!

Yo ho ho and a Podtor full of Whocast! Nathan (@wokejohnwayne) returns to talk pirates, Ubisoft E3 conferences, and more, as we walk the plank, and talk the plank, all this, and you know the drill, it's The Curse of the Black Spot!

You should DOWNLOAD us on sight! Podtor Whocast returns, alongside special guest Shelby (@alphacouple.bsky.social) to discuss Doctor Who in America, Richard Milhouse Nixon, big alien fellas in soggy suits, and more -- it's The Impossible Astronaut AND Day of the Moon!

A cause for applause! Welcome to the show, dearest guests. Please be seated. To close the year we thought we'd try something a little different - it's an alternative game awards show! We polled some members of the community and collated our own thoughts on the past year ‘n change, and who’da thunk it - we’ve got plenty to share. So join us in this celebration of everything that is, was, and could be. It’ll be a night to remember! (Also - Sam is very aware of the irony of him claiming the audio will be better while being completely unaware that Discord is sipping from their headset mic again rather than the one they told it to. OOOoOOOPS!)

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The night gaming came home! In an extra spooky special, Sam, David and guest Shane Cannon hand out tricks and treats alike as they discuss the rich legacy of illustrious horror director John Carpenter. It’s an eclectic tale spun across cult movies, the games inspired by them, and the famously outspoken gaming tastes of the big man himself. And, uh. Hang on. Didn’t David have something this week too…?

Special thanks to Stephen Follows for reaching out to provide research from his new book - The Horror Movie Report! https://stephenfollows.com/reports/the-horror-report/

Follow us on Twitter, Bluesky and Backloggd: @GamerEraPodcast

Topics discussed: Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo; Halloween (1978 film, 1983 game), The Fog; Escape from New York, Snake Plissken’s First Escape (cancelled game), John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982 film, 2002 game), Big Trouble in Little China (1986 film and game), They Live; Russell Grant’s Astrology / Astrology DS

Also mentioned: Judero, Kingdom Hearts, David’s PS3 comes out of storage, Myst/Riven, Atari Food Fight (2024); Sonic Unleashed, John Carpenter’s Games of the Year 2013 - 2014 (Borderlands 2, Remember Me, The Last of Us, Assassin’s Creed IV), Dead Space, Until Dawn; Silent Hill, Metal Gear, Bart vs. the Space Mutants

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Set phasers to “gaming”! There’s a great big universe out there, and by gum, someone’s gotta make sense of it. Join us, as we beam up old-school YouTuber and die-hard Odo fanboy Christopher Bingham (@chriscoolblog) to explore what works about Star Trek (and what so often doesn’t) across a plethora of interactive tie-ins. A most vital engagement!

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Topics discussed: “Star Trek” [1971 text adventure], Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, Star Trek: Borg, Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Crossroads of Time, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Harbinger; Star Trek: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen, Star Trek: Prodigy - Supernova

Also mentioned: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (GBA), Elden Ring, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, UFO 50 (Pingolf, Magic Garden, Mooncat); Thy Dungeonman (Homestar Runner), Star Raiders (Atari), Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Mass Effect, Rugrats: Search for Reptar

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The world’s a stage - and life’s a dance! It all gets a bit hairy-scary as Gamer Era kicks off the big red boots for the spookiest month of the year. Returning guest Lucy (@fortunekookiekrisp) joins Sam for an enchanting Bayonetta special, as a recap on the much-loved game series turns to a spirited discussion of the real-life folklore and superstition that may have inspired it. Cat not necessary, but strongly recommended.

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Topics discussed: The Bayonetta series (1 - 3), Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

Also mentioned: Monster Hunter Stories 2, Astro Bot, Downwell, Donut Dodo; Clover Studios, Platinum Games, MadWorld, Devil’s Third, Darksiders, Scalebound, Dungeon Meshi

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Gaming. It’s our business. With conquest on the mind, our brave hosts each explore the various triumphs and blunders of two titans venturing into the digital realm. First, David chronicles The Lego Group’s tentative steps into the 2000s - from the experimental Island series, to the justly forgotten cross-media flop of Galidor, through to the eventual breakout success of Bionicle. Then, Sam finally investigates a lifelong curiosity - just who exactly is multi-millionaire media mogul Alan Sugar, and what was he doing getting involved in the booming British micro-computer scene of the ‘80s? It’s all to play for in another block-busting instalment!

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Topics discussed: The Lego Island series, Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension, Bionicle; Alan Sugar, various Amstrad computers (CPC-464, PCW, PC1512, GX4000, Mega-PC); the Roland “series”, Get Dexter!, Everyone’s A Wally

Also mentioned: Antonball Deluxe / Antonblast, Perfect Dark, Thank Goodness You’re Here, Lego Incredibles, Muppet Monster Adventure; Lego: Fun to Build, the Sega Pico, Pac-Man Ghost Zone, Drawn to Life, Saffire (developer); The Apprentice UK, the ZX Spectrum, Sir Clive Sinclair, the BBC Micro, the Sega Teradrive

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Welcome back, Agent. Pay close attention. Time is of the essence… Out from the darkness and into the light shine two masters in their fields. First, incumbent agent Sam details the original Perfect Dark - the much-hyped spiritual successor to GoldenEye that continues to draw interest to this day. Then, interstellar traveller Vernon (@meektheraccoon) flashes back to the TimeSplitters series, itself both a contemporary and successor to Perfect Dark with a similarly devout fanbase. These twin titles separated at birth share many commonalities, but it is crucial that focus is not lost. Good luck, listener.

Follow us on Twitter, Bluesky and Backloggd: @GamerEraPodcast

Topics discussed: Perfect Dark (N64, GBC); TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect

Also mentioned: Baldur’s Gate III, Midtown Madness 3, Metroid Planets; GoldenEye 007, Rare and the N64 in 2000, Donkey Kong 64, Glover, Conker: Twelve Tales; Free Radical Design, Second Sight, Haze, Punch-Out!!, Body Harvest, Shaun of the Dead, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, Doom, Halo: Combat Evolved, LittleBigPlanet

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Hello gamers! Podtor Whocast hosts David and Michel have just popped up on Gamer Era, another Friendlymush.com podcast that David has never been on, to discuss the history of Doctor Who games from the early days up to the end of Series 5! Please enjoy this snippet, and be sure to go over to the main Gamer Era feed to listen to the rest!