Pixel Parents | A Video Game Podcast

It’s a chunky one this week as we take a loving look back at 20 years of Xbox 360, peak online play, era-defining blockbusters and ask:  what made it so damn good? We also share our predictions for The Game Awards and react to the Xbox Partner Showcase!

Also, we’ve got the verdict on Dispatch and share our thoughts on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re crowning the Best Nintendo Exclusive Game…from Hyrule to the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond

Support us FREE! Get bonus shows FREE! - www.patreon.com/pixelparents

In this episode:

• Dispatch Review
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 impressions
• Xbox Partner Showcase reactions
• The Game Awards nominees & predictions
• Main topic: 20 Years of Xbox 360
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Nintendo Exclusive Game

Write to us: [email protected]
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

Support us FREE! Get bonus shows FREE! - www.patreon.com/pixelparents

This week we’re joined by Patrick Klepek (Editor Remap, and Editor/founder Crossplay) for a wide-ranging chat on games media, parent-gamer life, and how we all keep the joy of play alive!

We also break down State of Play Japan (what landed, what didn’t), chat the all new Steam Machine and review Winter Burrow after some quality time with our cosy, crunchy little mouse adventure.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re crowning the Best Xbox Exclusive Game… what title defines Team Green?

In this episode:

• In Conversation: Patrick Klepek
• NIBLS (News In Brief with Liam and Scott)
• Steam Machine Reactions
• State of Play Japan discussion
• Winter Burrow review
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Xbox Exclusive Game

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Keep up with Patrick and subscribe for more!

Remap - https://remapradio.com/

Crossplay - https://www.crossplay.news/

BlueSky - https://bsky.app/profile/patrickklepek.bsky.social

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Write to us: [email protected]
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

Support us FREE! Get bonus shows! - www.patreon.com/pixelparents

It’s been a year with the PS5 Pro. Was it a smart upgrade or pure FOMO?
We break down the first year of Sony’s priciest console: what actually improved, who it suits, and whether we’d buy it today if we didn’t already own one. We’ll also ask where this leaves the PS6 conversation.

Plus, we’re catching up on The Outer Worlds 2 and how it’s shaping up against our expectations.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re crowning the Best PlayStation Exclusive Game!

In this episode:

• 1000x Resist review
• The Outer Worlds 2 review so far
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best PlayStation Exclusive Game

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

Join our FREE Patreon for bonus shows and support the show: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

It’s our Halloween Special, and we’re naming our personal Gaming Pile of Shame… the games we still haven’t played or beaten on the backlog, which has grown monstrous and out of control! Nowhere to hide, it’s time to expose just how depraved our buying habits have been with video games in 2025! (Insert evil laughter and screams).

Speaking of buying video games, we’ve got your November Games Roundup to showcase what games you need on your radar this month, as well as an in-depth chat about Halo returning… and do we care??

We’re also sharing fresh impressions on Dispatch, Ninja Gaiden 4, PowerWash Simulator 2 and more! 

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we crown the Best Terrible Game… the glorious disasters we can’t help but enjoy.

In this episode:

• Ninja Gaiden 4 review
• Dispatch impressions
• PowerWash Simulator 2 and more
• Halo return… do we care?
• November Games Roundup
• Halloween Special: Gaming Pile of Shame 2025
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Terrible Game

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

(Go give Sean love as he knocked the Halloween special production out of the park!)

SUPPORT US AND JOIN OUR FREE PATREON: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

This week we’re getting honest about taste shifts: the game genres we’ve grown into (and the ones we’ve quietly fallen out of).
From rogue-likes and tactics to racing sims and survival horror, we list the genres that finally clicked and the ones that just don’t hit like they used to… and dig into the why: time, mood, mechanics, and life-changing around us.

We also share our impressions on what could be our new obsession in Ball X Pit, why Baby Steps may actually be a GOTY contender, Final Fantasy Tactics joy, as well as dig into what is our ever-growing backlog with the final tidal wave of games arriving this silly season. We also discuss the latest news from Xbox and their plans for next-gen… are they reading the room?

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Gateway Game, the one that converted us to a genre we didn’t think was for us!

In this episode:

• Ball X Pit: Our New Obsession?
• Final Fantasy Tactics
• Baby Steps: GOTY?
• The end of the silly season, what big games are next?
• Xbox, Next-Gen Woes
• Main Topic: Genres we’ve grown into (and out of)
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Gateway Game

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

Support the show! Join our FREE Patreon for more!

Visit - www.patreon.com/pixelparents

This week, we catch up on what we’ve been playing including Ghost of Yotei, Baby Steps, and Hades II, then dive into our main topic: Sleeping Giants — the game devs who’ve gone quiet or still haven’t dropped the banger we’re all waiting for. Who has the big pressure on and who has the biggest opportunity to be the next thing in gaming?

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re crowning the Best Character Action Game...the slick, stylish, skill-ceiling monsters that never leave your muscle memory!

In this episode:

• Baby Steps and Ghost of Yotei
• Hades II GOTY vibe

• Main topic: Sleeping Giants, devs we’re still waiting on
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Character Action Game

Write to us: [email protected]
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week, we’re slowing things right down.

Between Ghost of Yotei, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Hades II and Silent Hill f — we’ve been bouncing between chaos and calm. But it’s got us asking: Is it time we all embraced slow gaming?

We're unpacking what “slow gaming” even means, why it might be exactly what we need, and how it could help us actually finish our backlogs without burning out.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re looking at games that reward you for taking it slow…

In this episode:

• Scott's BIG news
• Ghost of Yotei: Initial thoughts
• Silent Hill f: Still haunting us
• Super Mario Galaxy 2
• Hades II: Still GOTY contender?
• Main topic: Is it time we all embrace Slow Gaming?
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Slow Burn Game

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week, we’re reacting to the Xbox Game Pass price hikes and asking the big question… Is it still the best deal in gaming?

We also go deep on Hades II to share our impressions of what may already be a serious GOTY contender, as well as our thoughts on Silent Hill f as spooky season gets off to a flying start.

And in this week’s main topic, we are chatting about Sequels that outshine the original, and make a few predictions about what the next best sequel in gaming may be!


Finally, in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re crowning the Best Game Within a Game, those clever little side distractions that sometimes outshine the main game!

Support the show and join our FREE Patreon: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

In this episode:

- Hades II impressions

- Silent Hill f Review in progress

- Xbox Game Pass price hikes: what it means for gamers, value & choice

- Main topic: Sequels That Surpass the Original

- Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Game Within a Game

Write to us: [email protected]


Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social


Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week, it’s announcement overload — the PlayStation State of Play just dropped and we’re diving into every reveal, trailer, and potential wishlist addition. But with so many games dropping every month, it begs the question: Where do we even find the time?

We’re taking a beat to ask: how do you actually fit all these games into adult life?

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Game With No Combat 

🎧 Let us know which State of Play game actually made it to your mental backlog

In this episode:

• Full PlayStation State of Play reaction
• The reality of juggling hype and free time
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Game With No Combat

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

Join our FREE Patreon - Patreon.Com/PixelParents 

This week, we’re diving into a topic that’s been bubbling for a while:
Do we still trust video game reviews?
From inflated scores to rushed embargo day hot takes, we’re asking what actually makes a good review, and whether we need to rethink how we consume them.

We also give our verdict on The Knightling, share our continued progress with Hollow Knight Silksong, and talk about how it feels to sit with a game for longer than the review cycle demands.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Replayable Game — the ones you just keep coming back to, no matter how many years pass.

🎧 Still trust reviews? Or do you go full gut instinct? Let us know on BlueSky or by email!

In this episode:

• Do game reviews still mean what they used to?
• The Knightling: Review & first impressions
• Silksong progress check-in
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Replayable Game

Join our FREE Patreon: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

Write to us: [email protected]
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com