Welcome to Episode 297

This episode, we discuss AI's impact on the world, the parts we dislike, like generative AI, and some of its genuine benefits. We share encounters with AI in the wild, including a cold-calling AI bot tricked into giving a curry recipe, and people using AI to write books while claiming the work as their own. We also talk about how replacing entry-level jobs with AI may well cause a serious skills and experience gap down the line.

We also discuss The Asylum's mockbuster films, Ram's plans to replay Deus Ex: Human Revolution next year (since it's set in 2027) and how it compares to the real world, some sad but fascinating plane incidents, and a local wildfire.

Notes

The future is here, channel 4 did an AI presenter in 2025

Maker of the finest knockoff films, The Asylum

Not often seen in UK, a wildfire in Southwold

The danger of over confidence with the Dunning-Kruger effect

A British airway pilot that got sucked out of a window BA Flight 5390

Not done in a 747, but a test pilot completed a barrel roll in a 707

Not a FedEx flight, but UPS Flight 6 showing the dangers of Li-Ion Battery's

In rams view the most disturbing plane crash, Helios Airways Flight 522

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 13th August 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 296

Ram has been playing Contraband Police, inhabiting the role of a border control agent in the 1980s and having to run a checkpoint. its a very Ram game involving checking details on passports, inspecting cargo and searching for contraband. A surprisingly deep game not just with the core mechanics, but also featuring a story, car chases, base upgrading and ok gun combat. Ram get's to live out the power fantasy of telling people there papers are not in order and to please leave.

We also discuss: Jockey Wheel mishaps, territorial (real) rams and preferring sheep for conversational purposes.

Notes

Don't let people in unless their papers are in order with Contraband Police

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 30th July 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 295

We kick off discussing why are bit behind in our upload due to the recent brutal UK heatwave and how's its affected both of us with some thermal-throttling. We talk about our methods of survival including trying to sleep outside (resulting in a hammock purchase) and looking at AirCon options. Ram also discusses helping his aging greyhound handle the heat

Skazz then takes us through the rough time Sony has been having, mostly of there own creation, firstly, with the removal of films not just from the online stores, but the digital purchases from peoples own library's in the UK. Secondly, with their announcement of dropping physical PlayStation discs from 2028 and the backlash this has caused, and finally the closure of the PS3 and Vita stores, although this does seem somewhat fair.

We end up having a big discussion over end of physical discs and how we, admittedly coming form a more PC background, do not think it a big of a deal as its being made out to be. due to the nature of how games discs work anyway your less reliant on physical media then you think. This lead onto the importance of digital preservation and the importance of the Stop Killing Games movement

Ram then discusses Planet Crafter, a very chill, low-stakes terraforming survival game which he's been sinking a lot of time in over the heat wave. He discusses the mechanics and simple crafting, but how the latter part is starting to drag a little.

Notes

Come to the British Museum soon (Hopefully we'll give it back) the Bayeux Tapestry

A fascinating place, pity the tour was so rushed at the Dover Castle WW2 Tunnels

Sony are removing digital purchased in the UK

The end of physical media for Sony

How Fallout 1 + 2 code was nearly lost if not for the intervention of one programmer

Stop killing games - trying to keep games running

The ESA have some bizarre views on Minecraft servers

Goodbye to the PS3/PS Vita stores

A chill survival game in (The) Plant Crafter

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 16th July 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 294

After a brief diversion into Ram's cookbook bookshelf issues, we move onto more pressing topics.

We discuss the government's proposal to ban social media for under-16s. While we generally agree social media — despite having some benefits — is overall not a great thing, not just for kids but for society as a whole, we talk about why a ban like this could not realistically be enforced. We also get into our own childhood experiences of the early internet, plus a brief detour into internet fame in the modern day and what it even means to be a household name in the age of mass media. Ultimately, we talk about how more effort should go into parents understanding the dangers of the internet and how to actually parent their kids around it.

Skazz then talks through the demo for the new Star Fox remaster on Switch 2 — the changes they made for the better, the new features, the nostalgia it triggered in him, and how it might introduce a whole new generation to on-rails shooters.

We also discuss; Ram's dog jealousy over his Timberborn plushy, oversized Italian cookbooks, and why the '90s was a boring decade.

Notes

The most deadliest cookbook, The Silver Spoon

The governments plan to ban social media for under 16s

Fame in the modern day, Oliver Tree died and we unaware of him

On a similar note, the sad passing of Warhammer artist John Blanche

The return of the classic games series Star Fox

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 2nd July 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 293

We talk about the new 11th edition of Warhammer 40k that is due out soon, which Ram somehow nearly missed. We discuss the hobby and how different people choose to partake, sometimes not even playing the game. This follows onto reviewing over hobbies such as Lego for audits. We also talk about our time with Lego Mindstorms, the robotics kit from Lego.

Skazz then discuss both Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, he discusses purchasing them for the switch 2 and how he feels the game have been overlay padded out with unneeded content. He also discuss changes that have been made to the story

We also discuss, our new bins - or lack there of, vegan dogs and a modern day version of Logo

Notes

More plastic crack coming our way with Warhammer 40k 11th edition

Here are some memory's of programming in Logo and the robot turtle that went with it

Build robots with Lego Mindstorms

FF7 Remake and Rebirth has made it to the switch two

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 18th June 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 292

Ram has turns 40 this week, and we marked the occasion with a birthday sheep.

We kick things off discussing Ram's birthday celebrations, including a trip to the cinema to see The Sheep Detectives (Hugh Jackman as a shepherd, and including the likes Patrick Stewart and Bryan Cranston as sheep). Follow up with a Chinese takeaway. We end discussing our choice of various take aways and lament the lost to fire of the local Indian. We also discuss ram's trip to the recent Pig & Poultry Fair

Skazz looks at some recent tech with the new steam controller, discussing the changed and steam deck compatibility

We also discuss the minions summering Cthulhu, buying a tractor for commuting and confusing McDonald's workers with real cows

Notes

Our woolly friends solve a murder in The Sheep Detectives

The crossover we never expected to see

The minions summon Cthulhu

The latest in Pig Technology at the Pig and Poultry fair

The new Steam controller https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 4th June 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to episode 291

We kick off with some discussion of our approaching 300th episode milestone and the upcoming teddy bear wars

We talk about the good and bad of gaming community's and how they can become echo chambers with people regurgitating opinions rather then forming their own and how people should not be afraid to enjoy what they want to enjoy, even if it goes against the mainstream. We talk about midnight launchers and discovering games yourself in the shops

Ram then talks about his early impressions of Atomic Heart (2023). Set in an alternate-timeline Soviet Union with what feels like some it has been very heavy influenced by Bioshock Infinite. Some fun gameplay but also some awful characters

Notes

The nanny state stopping people launchers themselves out of a trebuchet

Explore a world where robots have gone mad in an alternate USSR in Atomic Heart

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 21st May 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 290

Only 6 minutes late this week, practically a record for us!

We get into gaming first by discussing RV there yet, a physic based puzzle game where you have to get your RV back from your camping trip by navigating across a large physics-based map full of rock slides and chaos, its like a crossover of Mudrunner and a Top Gear road trip. We talk about the clever damage system, the fun winching and physic mechanics, but agree it best played with friends

Onto a more disappointing game, Ram has been playing Layers of Fear. It was mean to be a psychological horror but delivers nothing but relentless cheap jump scares and a paper-thin gameplay loop, with you walking from room to room and puzzle so simple they don't deserve to be call that

Skazz has been getting back into VR and the new Meta Quest 3. He talk about the new features like the colour pass through with mild mixed reality, the excellent pancake lenses and how the wireless PC streaming works brilliantly

We also discuss defeating werewolves with chocolate, stolen game collections, the slimmer Gabe Newell and Gaussian splatting

Notes

Gabe Newell is looking better then ever before

Gather your mate and road trip in an easily destroyed motorhome in RV There yet?

Disappointing psychological horror game Layers of Fear

Get back into VR with meta's new headset

Corridors take on the new tech of Gaussian Splats

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 7th May 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 289

We kick off reflecting on ageing and the unsettling reality of how quickly life passes discussing "life calendars", prostate exams and what day of the week we are on

We then move onto Ram creating Nicktopia 15 in Timberborn, He discusses some of the major changes since he last played, including bad water mechanics, automation, logic gates, zip lines, and the new dedicated warehouse system.

In a historic first for his colony, not a single beaver died due to his mismanagement. instead he has happy, dancing, zip-lining beavers enjoying statues, mudpools, and debate chambers.

We also look at real-life beavers in the UK, and good news, they are being reintroduced this year almost perfectly timed with Timberborn's 1.0 release.

Notes

Have fun with wet beavers in Timberborn

And they are coming back to the uk!

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on April 23rd 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 288

Despite discussing it last episode, Ram has not been playing Timberborn, instead he saving it for the Easter weekend so he can dedicate some time to it

Ram then shows his enthusiasms over the Project Hail Mary film, Having been a big fan of both the book and Audio book, he's reviews and discusses the plot of the film and compares it to the novel (Lots of spoilers!). Along with discussing Ryan Gosling's performance and how they had to truncate the plot for the film to focus on the relationship between Grace and the Rocky. He also shows off his helmet and talks about some other merch he'll be getting.

Keeping to a space theme, Ram then talk about the game Tin Can, a small survival game where you maintain a broken escape pod's systems until you get rescued, Although only briefly played, Ram is looking to try it in VR mode.

Finally we move onto the our latest Games Day game R.E.P.O, a co-op roguelike survival horror game we are apparently debt collectors retrieving random valuables from hazardous locations and avoiding monsters, some of which have interesting mechanics, plus we find out who is the "king of the losers"

Notes

Although changed, a worthy Book to Film adaption in Project Hail Mary

You can also check out the Book and the excellent Audiobook

Can you keep your escape pod running? Find out in Tin Can

Repossess items from odd place and odd monsters in R.E.P.O.

We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on April 9th 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch