How Long To Beat

Join us on a sidequest through the recent videogame showcases, including the big Summer Game Fest schedule as well as a couple individual events outside of that.

We talk about how we engage with showcases in general and reveal our most anticipated new games discoveries through these recent live events!

Be ready for disingenuous eco games, tangents on horse-breeding games, doing backflips in games, a teardown of wholesomeness, and the state of bodily fluids in gaming.

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:53 - General Thoughts on Game Showcases

00:10:39 - SGF: State of Unreal

00:12:23 - SGF: State of Play (Sony)

00:21:39 - SGF: Main Show

00:36:33 - SGF: Day of the Devs

00:44:38 - SGF: Ball x Pit (Devolver Digital)

00:49:18 - SGF: IOI Showcase

00:50:20 - SGF: Wholesome Direct

00:58:21 - SGF: Women-led Games

01:06:39 - SGF: Latin American Games

01:11:58 - SGF: Southeast Asian Games

01:21:22 - SGF: Green Games

01:30:54 - SGF: Frosty Games Fest

01:34:52 - SGF: Xbox Showcase

01:41:30 - SGF: PC Gaming Show

01:42:13 - SGF: Death Stranding 2 Premiere

01:43:21 - SGF: Black Voices In Gaming

01:48:35 - Donkey Kong Bananza Nintendo Direct

01:55:45 - Arc System Works Showcase

01:57:07 - Capcom Spotlight

01:57:26 - Bandai Namco Summer Showcase

01:57:36 - The Horror Games Awards

02:01:15 - Our Most Anticipated New Discoveries

02:40:05 - Outro

On this episode, the hosts take a trip down memory lane: They revisit the very first video games they ever played, and then they take a look at "gateway games" that exposed them to new genres or concepts. Tune in as they talk about shiny poop, recount their childhood medical history, and review the rules of alphabetizing!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:00 - Beaten

01:01:24 - Retired

01:21:03 - Playing

01:57:40 - Our First Video Game + Gateway Games

02:51:44 - Guess the Game

02:59:25 - Goodbye!

Games Mentioned:

Diallo: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals TimeLia: Ghost of Tsushima (PS5), Forspoken (PS5), Fashion League (Mobile), Influencer Story (Mobile), A Plague Tale: Requiem (PS5), Helldivers 2 (PC), Infinity Nikki (PS5), GTA: Chinatown Wars (Mobile), Harvest Moon (NSO, SNES), Assassin’s Creed III Remastered (PS5), Kind Words 2 (PC), The Pathless (PS5)Matt: Aquadelic GT (PC), Frog Legs (PC), Purple (Mobile), Pinball of the Dead (GBA), Pinball (NES), HEADACHE (PC), The Amazing Spider-Man (GB), The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy (GBC), Need for Speed: ProStreet (PC), Backgammon + Checkers + Mills (PC), Murky Divers (PC)Roy: one night, hot springs (PC), Persona 3 Reload (PC), Citizen Sleeper (PC), Drake of the 99 Dragons (PC), Mona and the Witch’s Hat Deluxe (GBC), Mona and the Witch’s Hat (GB), Mario Party 3 (Switch/N64), StarVaders (PC), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC)

With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, the hosts take a look back at their experiences with the original Switch console. They go over how the platform affected their gaming and remember favorite titles, but also share criticisms and reasons why one might not have purchased a Switch at all.

In addition to that, there are also tales of speedrunning the Bible, encountering the mysterious Bubble Bobble Baron, re-experiencing the stress of high school romance, and being nostalgic over stick figure fights. So, stick around!

This episode is dedicated to all the random chickens crossing our path in life. Cherish them!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:11 - Beaten

00:49:44 - Retired

01:00:11 - Playing

01:58:11 - Nintendo Switch Retrospective

03:03:00 - Guess the Game

03:08:17 - Goodbye!

Games Mentioned:

Diallo: Mario’s Picross, Felvidek, Oxenfree, Dinner with an Owl, Tokimeki Memorial: forever with you Emotional, Blue Prince, Mother 3

Lia: Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back! (Switch), Nier Automata (PS5), Hollywood Story (mobile), RuPaul’s Drag Race (mobile), Stardew Valley (mobile), The Falconeer, Super Metroid (Switch), Infinity Nikki (PS5), Ghost of Tsushima (PS5), Connect Word (mobile), Influencer Story (mobile), Heave Ho (Switch), Run Jesus Run a.k.a. The 10 Second Gospel (PC)

Matt: Dead or Alive 6 (PC), Hooters: Road Trip (PS1), Redout: Enhanced Edition (PC), Xiao Xiao No. 2 & 4 & 6 & 9 (PC), Championship Cock Fighter (PC), Time Fcuk (PC), Aqua Moto Racing Utopia (PC), Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (NES), Backgammon + Checkers + Mills (PC), Murky Divers (PC), Purple (Mobile), Aquadelic GT (PC), Need for Speed: ProStreet (PC)

Roy: Balatro (PC), Run Jesus Run a.k.a. The 10 Second Gospel (PC), Persona 3 Reload (PC), Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (Switch/GBA), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC), Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (PC), Summon Night: Swordcraft Story (PC/GBA), Wordle (PC)

Your S4 hosts are back with another healthy dose of gamer chat! In this episode we share the games we chose for each other to play based on our backlogs, plus our memories of the best, worst, and the weird in licensed and media tie-in video games. Join us for bird games, soundtrack bangers, game hat tricks, sports tangents, a Kardashian or two, and a healthy serving of puns.

HowLongToBeat forums - ⁠https://howlongtobeat.com/forum⁠

Discord – ⁠https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk⁠

Email - ⁠[email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:02 - Beaten

00:37:28 - Retired

00:58:03 - Playing

01:47:31 - Secret Santa

02:02:01 - Licensed and Media Tie-In Games

02:41:10 - Guess the Game

02:49:50 - Goodbye!

Games Mentioned:

Diallo: Aviary Attorney, Indika, Mario’s Picross, Felvidek

Lia: Disney Speedstorm, Snakebird, PowerWash Simulator (DLC only, Spongebob and Shrek), Them’s Fightin’ Herds, Hatris (NES, Game Boy, Famicom, Arcade/TurboGrafx-16), Helldivers 2 (PS5/PC), Infinity Nikki (PS5), Ghost of Tsushima (PS5), Nier: Automatica (PS5)

Matt: Wakamarina Valley, New Zealand (PC), Hatris (GB) via Tetris Forever (PC), Welltris (DOS) via Tetris Forever (PC), Yeah! You Want "Those Games", Right? So Here You Go! Now, Let's See You Clear Them! (PC), Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory (PC), Ailuri (PC), Redout (PC), AEW: Fight Forever (PC), Murky Divers (PC), Purple (Android), Hooters: Road Trip (PS1)

Roy: Götzendiener (TurboGrafx-16), Little Kitty Big City (PC), Ice Climber (Switch/NES), Balloon Fight (Switch/NES), Super Tennis (Switch/SNES), Persona 3 Reload (PC), Wordle (PC)

Between geese, red pandas, killer clowns, and diapers…

This month’s episode contains an especially eclectic collection of games as we talk about the exciting and the frustrating titles that we’ve been playing recently.

We also share our experience with tackling the dustiest game on our respective backlogs to see if it really deserved to rot away for so long. How long has it been on there and how was it to finally check it off the list?

The perfect background noise for your very own spring cleaning!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental), Bit By Bit Sound (in this episode)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:49 - Beaten

01:34:13 - Retired

02:11:41 - Playing

03:16:56 - Tackling The Dustiest Backlog Game

03:41:41 - Guess the Game

03:46:17 - Goodbye!

Games Mentioned:

Diallo: Virtual Goose 5.0, Pokémon TCG Pocket, Dead by Daylight, Mario’s Picross

Lia: Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5), Peggle Extreme, Psych (2014), Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, Freshly Frosted, The Birdcage 1-3 (Mobile), Wizard of Wings, A Little to the Left Snack Pack, Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty!, 7 Second Haircuts, Everything is Garbage, The League of Lonely Geologists, Off Day, Friendly Fire, GTA Vice City (PS5), Yeah! You Want "Those Games", Right? So Here You Go! Now, Let's See You Clear Them! (Switch), The Elder Scrolls: Blades (Switch), Tchia, SELF, Grey Box Testing, Diapers Please!, Ghost of Tsushima (PS5), Crossing Souls, Kind Words 2, I Love Finding Birds, various too similar to differentiate shop simulator games, Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (Genesis), Metroid Zero Mission, Mappy vs Mickey, Oddworld: Soulstorm, Peggle Extreme

Matt: Celeste (PC), Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC), Smalland (PC), Inertial Drift (PC), Cadde (PC), PISS (PC), Future Aero Racing S Ultra (PC), Monsters, Inc. (PS2), Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game (PC), Audiosurf (PC), Audiosurf 2 (PC), Hatris 3D (N64), Minecraft (PC), Ailuri (PC), Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker’s Memory (PC), Redout (PC), Breath of Death VII (PC)

Roy: GAR-TYPE (PC), Daytona USA (Saturn), Golden Axe (Switch/Genesis), Sega Rally Championship (Saturn), Donkey Kong (Switch/NES), Ridge Racer 64 (Switch/N64), Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride (GBA), Mario 4: Kosmichyeskaya Odissyeya (Genesis), Pokemon Yellow (Game Boy), Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (PC), Fortune’s Favor! (GBA), Double Dragon II: The Revenge (Switch/NES), Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll (Switch/NES), Golden Axe II (Switch/Genesis), Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (PC), Dr. Mario (NES), Wordle (PC), Arknights (Mobile), Summon Night: Swordcraft Story (GBA), Metroid: Zero Mission (Switch/GBA), Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones Randomizer (GBA), Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade Randomizer (GBA), Doc Clock and the Toasted Sandwich of Time (PC), Doc Clock: The Toasted Sandwich of Time (PC)

Hosts Diallo, Lia, Matt, and Roy are back and ready to share the upcoming 2025 releases that have them excited, as well as discuss how they keep up with video game news!

Tune in to hear their takes on disgusting garbage houses, video games about pop stars, and much, much more!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:12 - Intro

00:00:34 - Beaten

00:41:12 - Retired

00:54:15 - Playing

01:35:50 - What We're Looking Forward to in 2025

02:26:35 - Guess the Game

02:36:53 - Goodbye!

Games Mentioned:

Diallo: Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, Animal Well

Lia: Poopy Philosophy, Sheepy, Railbound, GTA III (Definitive Edition, PS5), Mimi’s Delivery Dash, NSYNC Get to the Show (GBC), Britney’s Dance Beat (GBA), Boomerang X, Bus Simulator 21, Infinity Nikki, Freshly Frosted, The Geology Game, Abe's Oddysee New N Tasty, Mini Motorways, Marvel Rivals, GTA: Vice City (Definitive Edition, PS5), Crossing Souls, Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Matt: Disgusting Garbage House Escape (PC), Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge (PS2), Ink (PC), Limbo (PC), Super Meat Boy (PC), Mr. Run and Jump (PC), Carly and the Reaperman (PC), Forspoken (PC), Flambeau Deluxxx (PC), Smalland (PC), Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker’s Memory (PC), Celeste (PC)

Roy: Delia: The Traveling Witch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, Wordle, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

On this special episode, we welcome back previous guest and thread master Knalb to look back with us at the "Game of the Month" titles that were chosen by the community throughout 2024 as part of one of the oldest traditions on HowLongToBeat.

To top it all off, Knalb brought a bunch of interesting facts and numbers for a little trivia game about the statistics of those events!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:00 Intro

00:04:23 What has Knalb been playing recently?

00:17:38 Pony Island

00:22:46 Final Fantasy XII

00:27:40 Return of the Obra Dinn

00:32:57 Valiant Hearts

00:37:00 Hatoful Boyfriend

00:41:23 Ori and the Will of the Wisps

00:43:45 The World Ends With You

00:53:24 Sunset Overdrive

00:56:44 Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

01:05:04 Bully

01:12:59 Inside

01:15:25 Death's Door

01:20:13 Resident Evil 7

01:32:25 Doom Eternal

01:36:12 Outer Wilds

01:44:50 GOTM Trivia Game

02:14:45 Conclusion & Looking Forward

Welcome the new year with a look back at the last games Diallo, Lia, Matt and Roy were able to squeeze through under the 2024 deadline. In this episode, the shiny newly minted hosts of the podcast go over the last games they have beaten, retired, and played before debating the pros and cons of the itchmas ’24 lineup.

Get ready for escape rooms, forgotten horror, snowballs and sleds, lots of falling blocks, super short games, and the dawn of a new era in vtubers?

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:10 - Intro

00:00:42 - Beaten

00:53:30 - Retired

01:04:30 - Playing

01:39:00 - itchmas December 2024

02:24:29 - Guess the Game

02:27:35 - Goodbye!

Games Mentioned:

Diallo: Crow Country, Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties, Who’s Lila?, Emio - The Smiling Man, Outer Wilds (Echoes of the Eye DLC), Metaphor: ReFantazio

Lia: Lake: Seasons Greetings, Dredge, Spirit City: Lo Fi Sessions, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, Doom Eternal, Dragon Age: Veilguard: Character Creator, Tiny Bookshop Demo, Boomerang X, Red Dead Online, Bus Simulator 21, Infinity Nikki

Matt: Snow Moto Racing Freedom, Polaris Snocross (PS1 & GBC), Sled Storm (PS1), Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge, The Whisperer, That Which Gave Chase, Praey For The Gods, Mission in Snowdriftland, Glacier 3: The Meltdown, Tram Simulator Urban Transit, Liyla and the Shadows of War (Android), Zool: Redimensioned, Via Tetris Forever: Tetris Battle Gaiden (NES), Tetris 2 + Bombliss (NES), Hatris (Famicom/GB//US NES),Tetris (CD-i) (shelved), Tetris Christmas, Chris Rea’s Driving Home For Christmas YT, Via Tetris Forever: Super Tetris 3 (SNES) (shelved), Super Bombliss DX (GBC) (shelved), Igo: Kyū Roban Taikyoku (NES), Tetris [1988] (MS-DOS), Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss (SNES), Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss: Gentei Hen (SNES), Super Bombliss (GB/SNES), Tricky Towers

Roy: Golf (1984), Donkey Kong Jr., Hearthstone, Live A Live, Holocure, Pokemon Silver, Eragon (GBA), Arknights, Civilization IV, Delia: The Traveling Witch, Tetris DX

Itchmas 2024: Arcane Beak, P.E. Noire, LODGE, | aka pipe, What Never Was, Creature Packets, Rental, Nightmare Kart, The world had been sad since Tuesday, A Good Gardener, Delia: The Traveling Witch, Pakke-Is, Off-Peak, Sheepy: A Short Adventure

A new beginning is upon us as Josh and Paula are ambushed by a set of new voices who are eager to carry the torch into season 4 of the How Long To Beat Podcast!

In this extra big episode, members of the community Diallo, Lia, Matt and Roy begin the new season with a discussion of some games that shaped them as gamers over the years before going into the classic talking points of the games they have beaten, retired, and played.

Be ready for dark Pikmin roleplay, Yu-Gi-Oh nerd rage, and the occasional chirp from the new podcast mascot, Lizza the bird!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro), Abatage (incidental), call me lethargy. (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Matt

00:00:00 - Ambush!

00:37:05 - Intro

00:39:10 - Games That Shaped Us

02:00:27 - Beaten

02:49:57 - Retired

03:08:07 - Playing

03:36:23 - Soap Box: Roy on Yu-Gi-Oh!

03:42:41 - Goodbye!

Games Mentioned:

Diallo: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Pokémon HG/SS, We <3 Katamari, Hypnospace Outlaw, Resident Evil 2, Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dead by Daylight, Pokemon TCGP, Crow Country

Lia: The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, GTA: San Andreas, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, The Last Of Us, Echoes of Wisdom, i’ll be brave tomorrow, We Are OFK, Winnie the Pooh, Railbound, Growing Up, Lake: Season’s Greetings (DLC), Dredge, Doom Eternal, Death’s Door

Matt: Grounded, F-Zero, Inscryption, Spore, Die Maus, Tetris (Game Boy), Shinkansen 0, Tanuki Sunset, Escape Memoirs: Mini Stories, Gubble Buggy Racer, Super Tetris, Tetris 2, Acorn Pinball, Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy, Yoshi, Snow Moto Racing Freedom, Pinball of the Dead

Roy: Summon Night: Swordcraft Story, Persona 3: FES, Pikmin 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Automobili Lamborghini, Helltaker, Star Fox 64, Cruis’n USA, Cruis’n World, Pokemon FireRed, Urban Champion, Sonic Adventure 2, Hearthstone, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Wordle, Sonic Generations

The end has come and the season finishes up with this final episode where Josh and Paula take a look to the future. What are they keen to finish? What’s been sitting on the backlog begging to be played? What new releases are they looking forward to in the future?

Thanks to everyone who contributed and helped support season three and make it fun. It was a blast to put together, but all good things must come to an end. Who knows what will happen in the future, but for now, it’s done!

Thanks for listening.

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:36 - Backlog Games We’re Hyped to Finish

00:18:32 - Backlog Games We’re Hyped to Start

00:43:41 - Upcoming Releases We’re Hyped For

01:36:54 - A Look Back On Season 3

01:45:04 - Final Thoughts

Games Mentioned:

Josh: Dredge, Starfield, Paradise Killer, Need For Speed Heat, Outer Wilds, Republique, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes, The Operator, Terminator: Resistance, Coffee Talk, Coffee Talk 2, Deliver Us Mars, American Arcadia, Steelrising, Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Grand Theft Auto 6, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Death Stranding 2, The Wolf Among Us 2, The Sims 5, Doom: The Dark Ages, Light No Fire

Paula: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kindgom, Wargroove 2, Shin Megami Tensei V, The Cruel King and the Great Hero, Elden Ring, Fire Emblem: Engage, Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling, Radiant Tale Fanfare, Lakeburg Legacies, Taisho X Alice, Catherine, CharadeManiacs, JackJeanne, Ace Attorney: Miles Edgeworth Invetigations Collection, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Meiji Tokyo Renka Full Moon, 9 RIP, Virche Evermore: Epic Lycons, Steam Prison: Beyond The Steam, Bustafellows Season 2, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Utakata no Uchronia