The Casual Hour

00:00:28 Intro / Welcome

00:02:25 How GOTY works + Day 1 categories overview

00:03:53 Best Non-2025 Game

00:09:27 Backlog GOTY

00:12:41 Best New Character

00:37:58 Better Together

00:53:16 Bobby’s Wabi Sabi (Best Early Access)

00:58:36 Best Looking

01:01:46 Best Style

01:29:51 Day 1 recap + outro

Day 1 of our 2025 GOTY is here. We kick off the three-part showcase with Best Non-2025, Backlog GOTY, Best New Character, Better Together, Best Early Access, Best Looking, and Best Style. It is a tight show with a few surprise picks, a couple passionate defenses, and just enough chaos to feel on brand!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

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M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:00:28 Opening

00:02:42 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

00:16:16 Light Up the Town

00:18:54 Mega Bonk

00:21:25 Skate Story

00:26:35 Flotsam and The Séance of Blake Manor

00:27:09 The Game Awards recap begins

00:27:12 Show ratings

00:31:02 Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic

00:35:48 Star Wars: Galactic Racer

00:38:59 Larian’s next Divinity

00:39:48 Control: Resonant

00:42:32 Mega Man: Dual Override

00:43:20 Bradley the Badger

00:45:41 Orbitals

00:47:11 Street Fighter movie cast

00:49:32 Next year’s Game Awards coverage?

00:52:34 Uma Musume riff

00:53:40 Next week’s GOTY plan + overlay tool

00:54:34 Plugs

00:56:49 Closing

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This Week on The Casual Hour…

Another year, another Game Awards. Why do we do this to ourselves? Well, because sometimes, a new Star Wars Old Republic game gets announced! In any case Bobby and Chase run down the show (and a couple last minute games we’ve played) in preparation for our own GOTY starting next week. All that on this edition of The Casual Hour

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:00:28 Intro

00:01:09 Show setup & December framing

00:02:19 What we’ve been playing

00:02:49 Demonschool

00:12:49 Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

00:19:03 Digimon Story (Chase)

00:23:13 Spy Drops

00:29:00 Pokémon Legends: Z-A

00:43:42 PS Plus Essentials (December)

00:46:18 Marvel: Cosmic Invasion

00:47:48 Simogo Legacy Collection

00:48:56 Let It Die: Inferno

00:50:18 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

00:53:00 Octopath Traveler Zero

00:55:30 Flotsam 1.0

00:56:37 Skate Story

00:57:34 Death Howl

00:58:48 Unbeatable

00:59:30 Terminator 2D: No Fate

01:01:41 Beastie Ball (TBD)

01:03:45 Mina the Hollower (TBD)

01:06:10 Our Picks for December

01:06:59 Wrap-up, schedule, plugs

01:11:32 Outro 

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This Week on The Casual Hour…

One final monthly preview of the year, but fist, the crew has a lot of new games to cover. Bobby’s back on the dungeon grind with Moonlighter 2 and Demonschool. And Chase has traded one monster collector for another, finishing Digimon Story: Time Stranger and starting Pokemon Legends Z-A. All that and more on this edition of The Casual Hour!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:28 Opening – Chase does nothing, Bobby sets up the surprise  

01:26 What we've been playing (Dispatched, Arc Raiders, Demon School, Moonlighter 2)  

02:10 Chase’s Digimon update (48+ hours in)  

05:04 Rules & format clarifications for the IGN Top 100 Nintendo list  

06:23 Early list frustrations (“God damn it, IGN… stupid list”)  

08:38 The guessing game begins – Ocarina of Time lands at #6  

09:15 Breath of the Wild is revealed as #2  

09:26 Tears of the Kingdom is #1 (“have some self respect, IGN”)  

10:56 A Link to the Past discussion continues the guessing spiral  

21:22 Donkey Kong Country debate

24:19 Tetris is #5 – and the argument for it being even higher  

24:55 “There is no God. There is no Meteos.”  

35:30 Earthbound doesn’t make the list 

44:28 Final guesses, wrap-up of the IGN game  

47:55 Closing thoughts & outro  

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This Week on The Casual Hour…

IGN recently put out a list of the Top 100 Nintendo Games of All-Time, and Bobby has decided to torture Chase by making him guess what made the top 25. It’s an episode of incredible stupidity and surprise, and you probably don’t want to miss it.

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:00:28 Opening + Baldur’s Gate 3 Deluxe goodies unboxing (stickers, patches, OST, map)  

00:05:48 Dead Finger Dice stream recap  

00:06:33 ARC Raiders check-in + community vibes and AI ethics chat  

00:21:05 Possessors (Heart Machine) first impressions  

00:24:22 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment impressions (Tears-era story, Zonai toys)  

00:37:28 PlayStation Portal update: cloud streaming without owning a PS5, hands-on  

00:44:43 Valve hardware talk: Steam Machine cube, Steam Frame, new Steam Controller, Deck pricing chat  

01:07:59 Plugs and closing

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This Week on The Casual Hour…

Valve looked to make a big splash with their announcement of the Steam Machine, a consolized PC with a slick new controller. We talk about what that means for the future of PC gaming, as well as what it means for Valve’s console competitors. All that plus Hyrule Warriors and Possessor(s) talk on this edition of The Casual Hour!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:28 Opening & travel talk  

02:12 November overview – government shutdown & show schedule  

03:10 PowerWash Simulator 2 discussion  

08:33 Dispatched – superhero management game deep dive  

17:27 Arc Raiders review & AI debate  

33:18 Ghost of Yōtei & Pokémon Z-A check-in  

34:10 October recap & Game of the Year warm-up  

37:00 November free PlayStation Plus games (Stray, WRC 24, TABS)  

40:41 Xbox Game Pass farewell & monthly rotation update  

41:12 Fire Emblem Sacred Echoes update + Wheel Spin results (Grim Fandango)  

43:01 November Preview begins – Satisfactory & beyond  

49:45 Closing thoughts & show wrap-up  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Week on The Casual Hour…

November is traditionally a big month for video game releases, and this year seems to be no different. In addition to two big Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives, we have a bevy on interesting indies, promising premises and one very large 1.0 release. Join us for all that and more on this edition of The Casual Hour!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:28 Opening & Halloween banter  

03:23 Ghost of Yōtei Check-In  

03:53 Absalom — Hades-style co-op beat ’em up  

11:37 The Outer Worlds 2 — smarter flaws, sharper writing  

19:36 Big Head Hats & merch shout-out  

19:55 Ball Pit — Devolver’s roguelike Breakout addiction  

26:13 Fire Emblem: Sacred Echoes (GBA demake)  

27:56 Pokémon Z-A — real-time battles & mixed feelings  

42:28 Pokémon strategy deep-dive & real-time design talk  

49:38 Closing thoughts & outro  

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This Week on The Casual Hour…

We’re back after a week off to tell you all about a handful of new and fun video games. Bobby’s been hacking away at Absolum, Chase went deep into the Ball x Pit and we have a long discussion about the good, the bad and the missed opportunities of Pokemon Legends Z-A. All that on this edition of The Casual Hour!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:00:28 Cold Open & Destiny 2’s Downfall

04:08 The Fate of Bungie & Marathon’s Future

05:10 State of Xbox Discussion (Game Pass, Hardware Pullbacks, Brand Direction)

08:28 Ark Raiders & Extraction Shooters

09:44 Cloudheim Demo Impressions

10:37 Skate Story Demo

18:12 Pokémon Legends: ZA Impressions

23:37 Digimon Story: Time Stranger Follow-Up

28:01 Pokémon vs. Digimon Gameplay Philosophy

31:01 Bobby’s Demo Round-Up (Cloudheim, Skate Story)

34:02 Chase – Ball Pit (Devolver Digital)

44:32 Fire Emblem: Sacred Echoes

01:02:06 Wrap-Up & Weekly Schedule

This Week on The Casual Hour…

Bobby and Chase have a ton of new games and demos to talk about: Skate Story, Pokemon Legends Z-A, Digimon, Ball x Pit and even a Fire Emblem romhack that’s got Chase burning his hands. All that and more on this games-packed episode of The Casual Hour!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:00:28 – Cold Open & PS5 Portal Confession

05:51 – Death Stranding 2 Credits & Kojima Closure

10:09 – Starbirds (Early Access Impressions)

11:55 – Ghost of Yōtei Review & Design Praise

25:18 – Open-World Design Discussion & Fast-Travel Innovation

27:33 – Digimon Story: Time Stranger Discussion

41:06 – Digivolving, Stats, and Personality System Breakdown

45:00 – Pokémon Comparisons & Franchise Fatigue

44:31 – State of Xbox Discussion (Game Pass, Studio Closures, Brand Decline)

01:27:00 – Wrap-Up & Weekly Schedule

This Week on The Casual Hour…

Bobby’s sick (and not just of having to hear Chase talk about Super Robot Wars), but we’re able to press on and tell you about all the sick games coming out in the month of September. It’s a month packed with sequels, remakes, early access 1.0s and brand new titles. Listen as we run them all down on this edition of The Casual Hour!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

00:28 Cold Open: October Vibes, Reese’s Shapes, GameStop Stories

02:11 Bobby Upgrades to PS5 Pro

12:32 Dying Light: The Beast Impressions

21:06 Chase Updates: Death Stranding 2, Super Robot Wars, Pokémon Emerald Sea Glass

24:57 September Picks Recap

30:09 October PS+ Essentials

31:23 Xbox Game Pass Changes & Strike Update

35:32 Birthday Month Wheel Tradition

35:56 October Releases Preview (Magical Delicacy, Ghosts of Uti, more)

This Week on The Casual Hour…

We’ve got a stacked month of October to preview, with a little something for both Chase and Bobby to chew on. Plus, GameStop’s grading trading cards now? Oh brother. All that and more on this edition of The Casual Hour!

// T W I T C H  &  Y O U T U B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M W F @ 9 PM CST

twitch.tv/thecasualhour

youtube.com/thecasualhour

// S U B S C R I B E

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/thecasualhour

We post Casually Considereds and VODs from previous streams weekly!

// F O L L O W

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One link to rule them all: www.thecasualhour.com

// T H E   C A S U A L   H O U R

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Pease - https://linktr.ee/bob_omby

Chase Koeneke - http://Linktr.ee/chase_koeneke

// M U S I C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on Twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com