Game/Life Balance U.S.

By Cody Gough and Jonathan MartinLeisure Video Games

Game/Life Balance U.S. episodes

August 21, 2018 Gen Con 2018 Board Game Review Special (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 054)
In a special solo episode, Cody discusses his favorite games from Gen Con 2018 and offers some buying recommendations if you’re looking for the latest and greatest in strategy board games. Plus, learn a little about the role-playing game worlds of Starfinder, Arcanis: The World of Shattered Empires, and Savage Worlds.

Show Notes:

* Cody discusses his favorite board game adventures from Gen Con 2018, including the following unreleased games:

* The expansion 7 Wonders: Armada / Asmodee (7 Wonders and 7 Wonders: Leaders Expansion available now)
* Dragon Ball Z: The Board Game Saga / Lynnvander Studios, estimated release date Q4 2018 (originally in conjunction with Jasco Games when it was demo’d at Gen Con 2017)

* Here are Cody’s most recommended board games from Gen Con 2018:

* Azul / Plan B Games (8.0 on Board Game Geek)
* Gloomhaven / Designed by Isaac Childres, Kickstarter (9.0 on Board Game Geek)
* Terraforming Mars: Prelude expansion / Stronghold Games (8.6 on Board Game Geek)
* One Deck Dungeon: Forest of Shadows / Asmadi Games
* Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Magic / Leder Games (8.5 on Board Game Geek)
* Mystic Vale / AEG, Alderac Entertainment Group (7.3 on Board Game Geek) with a whopping TEN EXPANSIONS, with these expansions particularly highly recommended:

* Mystic Vale: Mana Storm (8.0), with new amulets;
* Mystic Vale: Vale of the Wild (8.1), which introduces leaders;
* Mystic Vale: Conclave (7.4), which expands the game from 4 to 6 players;
* Mystic Vale: Twilight Garden, released in July with no rating yet on Board Game Geek, offers player attacks and interaction (but Cody hasn’t had the chance to play it yet)

* Plus, Cody delves into the world of role-playing games, including Starfinder, Arcanis: The World of Shattered Empires, and Savage Worlds
* Check our past podcasts for board game reviews from Martin Con 2018, Martin Con 2016, and Martin Con 2015 (we did not do a podcast following Martin Con ...
1 hr
June 28, 2018 Board Game Review Special: Martin Con 2018 (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 053)
Cody and Jon recap their favorite board games of “Martin Con” 2018, the annual Memorial Day Weekend board game gathering hosted at Jon’s house in Minnesota.

This year’s games include but are not limited to: Avalon, Near and Far, Chaos in the Old World, Terraforming Mars, Arkham Horror, Mystic Vale, Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn, Rising Sun, Imperial Assault (with iPad), Ethnos, Eldritch Horror, and Codenames.
Show Notes:

* The two hosts give a quick rundown of the concept of “Martin Con” before diving into multiple detailed board game reviews
* Check our past podcasts for board game reviews from Martin Con 2016 and Martin Con 2015 (we did not do a podcast following Martin Con 2017)
* After finishing their massive board game geek-out, Cody and Jon briefly discuss their Deadpool 2 outing and Jon’s motivation to run in the ridiculous hot weather over Memorial Day weekend
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com
* Learn something new in just a few minutes every day on Cody’s daily podcast for Curiosity.com

1 hr 19 min
June 14, 2018 Interview with “The Minds Behind the Games” author Patrick Hickey, Jr. (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 052)
You know who directed your favorite films and wrote your favorite screenplays… so why don’t you know the names behind your favorite video games? On this episode, host Cody Gough interviews Patrick Hickey, Jr, author of “The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult and Classic Video Game Developers,” about his conversations with the creators of games like NBA Jam, Night Trap, Maniac Mansion, and more.
Show Notes:

* Patrick Hickey, Jr, creator of ReviewFix.com, discusses:

* The process of inviting game developers to tell him their stories, and what motivated him to share their tales in the first place
* Why the video game industry historically hasn’t put names above brands the way that movie studios and other entities have done in the past
* Some of the most fun and interesting stories from his time writing the book
* How the world of professional wrestling overlaps with his stories and what he’s working on next
* His first forays into voice acting, as well as how he’s found himself contributing to video games in ways he never would have imagined just a few years ago

* You can also hear Patrick as a voice actor in Relentless Rex (the Dino), The Padre (Padre Alexander, the main character), and Tr.1.S (p05). Patrick also wrote Tr.1.S and is the story editor for The Padre.
* Plus: Patrick can do a voice that sounds exactly like The Shockmaster, an infamous botched pro wrestling debut
* Pick up your copy of “The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult and Classic Video Game Developers,” on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.

* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com
* Learn something new in just a few minutes every day on Cody’s daily podcast for Curiosity.com

46 min
May 24, 2018 F-Zero: Can you be nostalgic for a bad game? (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 051)
Cody and Jon attempt to explain F-Zero after playing it on the SNES Classic, despite not really caring at all about racing games. They also finally give an update on what’s going on in their lives, for once!

Show Notes:

* Cody and Jon try to stumble through a review of F-Zero, despite the fact that racing games aren’t their “thing”
* Jon is curious about what Cody has to say regarding the game’s “interesting mechanics,” and both of them find the game strangely entertaining, despite the fact that they agree that the game is relatively “bad”
* Jon discusses his favorite terrible games: Twisted Tales of Spike McFang, X-Men for the Sega Genesis, and Sewer Shark for the Sega CD
* After an in-depth discussion, play along with some F-Zero trivia!
* Cody gives a “Life Stuff” update and discusses how he’s now hosting a daily podcast for Curiosity.com, which you can listen to as an Alexa Flash Briefing skill on your Amazon Echo device
* Jon helped AC from Game/Life Balance Australia get Cody a belated wedding gift, which Cody thinks is SERIOUSLY THE COOLEST THING EVER, and he genuinely thanks him for the incredible present
* Cody and Jon briefly discuss Avengers: Infinity War, the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Movie, the new season of Arrested Development, and a few other movies/TV shows that are on their radar these days
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com
* Learn something new in just a few minutes every day on Cody’s daily podcast for Curiosity.com

1 hr 9 min
May 10, 2018 Is it too late for EarthBound? (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 050)
Jon reviews EarthBound, one of his favorite games ever, and Cody asks: is it too late for EarthBound to find a new audience?

Show Notes:

* The hard question gets put out there: is it too late for EarthBound?
* After an in-depth discussion, play along with EarthBound trivia!
* Jon gives an update on his quest to play through every Final Fantasy game this year, and Cody explains why he’s playing Final Fantasy XIV again
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Video referenced in intro: Earthbound (SNES) Angry Video Game Nerd: Episode 156 (we recorded this episode 8 days before the AVGN released his video, believe it or not!)
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

1 hr 4 min
March 15, 2018 Is Super Metroid A Perfect Game? (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 049)
Is Super Metroid a perfect video game? Cody poses the question and Jon tries to come up with answers, as they review the classic Nintendo title on the SNES Classic — 24 years after it was first released.

Show Notes:

* Cody asks the hard question: is Super Metroid a perfect video game?
* Jon reveals why he has SO MUCH HAIR on his head right now, and it’s actually a pretty good reason
* Cody’s first impressions of Stellaris, which is a very confusing game
* Jon gives an update on his quest to play through every Final Fantasy game this year, now that he’s on Final Fantasy V, which is definitely one of his favorite games in the series (if not favorite games in general)
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

1 hr 9 min
February 22, 2018 Yoshi’s Island: When Optional Content Determines A Game’s Fun (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 048)
Can optional content determine the playability and fun factor of a video game? Cody discusses how this happened as he and Jon review Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island for the SNES Classic, arguably the best platformer ever made.

Show Notes:

* Cody explains that he has upgraded to “gigabyte internet” but has no idea what that actually means (and plugs the Portal WiFi Router, basically the best router in the history of the world ever)
* Jon explains why he thinks Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island might be the best platformer of all time, and he and Cody discuss the importance of optional content in video games. How do you “handle” optional content? When is there too much, when is there not enough, and what happens when a game’s difficulty is more attuned to completionists than it is to casual players who simply want to beat a game?
* To wrap up the episode, Cody talks about why he’s more or less done playing Dissidia Final Fantasy NT on his PlayStation 4, a fighting game with action role-playing elements developed by Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja and published by Square Enix
* Jon gives an update on his quest to play through every Final Fantasy game this year, having just completed FFII and FFIII for the first time
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

1 hr 7 min
February 09, 2018 Pacing and Active Participation in Role-Playing Games with Super Mario RPG (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 047)
Cody and Jon delve into the history of Nintendo’s unique collaboration with Square-Enix (Squaresoft, at the time) and review Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES Classic.

Show Notes:

* Cody and Jon discuss the incredibly unique circumstances of Nintendo and Squaresoft (known today as Square-Enix) working together to create a game that combines the best of many worlds
* To wrap up the episode, Cody gives his first impressions of the recently released PlayStation 4 port of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, a fighting game with action role-playing elements developed by Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja and published by Square Enix
* Jon also discusses Star Wars: Imperial Assault, a strategy board game by Fantasy Flight Games with a companion app that brings a board game experience to life without the need for human players to be around
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

1 hr 15 min
January 11, 2018 The Relationship Between Fun and Difficulty with Contra III: The Alien Wars (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 046)
Cody and Jon review the run and gun game Contra III: The Alien Wars on the SNES Classic.

Show Notes:

* Cody and Jon discuss whether the game is too difficult or they just don’t like playing games that hard! Plus: why is 2-player mode completely broken and literally unplayable?
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

1 hr 2 min
December 29, 2017 What Makes A Good Platformer? Super Castlevania IV SNES Classic Review (Game/Life Balance U.S. Podcast Ep. 045)
Cody and Jon review Super Castlevania IV, one of many remakes of the original Castlevania, on the SNES Classic. Plus: first impressions of the board game Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn!

Show Notes:

* Hear how Cody was gilded on Reddit with an unlikely comment related to Triple H’s entrance music.
* Cody and Jon set the stage for their discussion by talking about their history with the Castlevania series, including Cody’s extremely old Let’s Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night VHS Tape, which is now on YouTube.
* Cody and Jon debate the merits and pitfalls of Super Castlevania IV: is the platforming any good? Is it too hard? Why is the music so terrible? And most importantly, does it hold up?
* Super Castlevania IV trivia from SNES Classic: The Ultimate Guide To Castlevania IV by BlackNES Guy
* First impressions of Fantasy Flight Games’ Civilization: A New Dawn strategy board game, from Cody’s first play session (highly recommended!)
* To nominate an SNES Classic game for them to review on their next episode, email [email protected] or tweet at Cody @ProducerCody and/or Jon @eatplaygame
* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!
* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission
* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

1 hr 3 min

About Game/Life Balance U.S.

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