The Level

By Duckfeed.tvLeisure Video Games

The Level episodes

February 22, 2019The Level 275: Bone Burns Bright
Kole, Ben, and David talk about the recent Nintendo Direct announcements, Sunless Skies, and we do a Free Play Multiplayer.
The Brief:
Carlton dance cannot be copyrighted.
Nintendo Direct brings us Super Mario Maker 2 and Link’s Awakening remake.
Silksong is a new game by Team Cherry, set in the Hollow Knight universe.
Stranger Things gets its own Dungeons & Dragons content.
The Multiplayer:
FREE PLAY.
The Grind:
David: Sunless Skies.
Ben: Astroneer. Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.
Kole: Tetris 99. Rebel, Inc. Thief Simulator. Frostpunk
1 hr 57 min
February 15, 2019The Level 274: Improvised Murder Opportunities
Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about Sunless Skies, Astroneer, and we ask you about your favorite game manuals.
The Brief:
Nintendo is taking steps to fight game addiction.
Frostpunk adds a photo mode.
Geralt comes to Monster Hunter: World.
Capcom adds a bunch of game music to Spotify.
The Multiplayer:
What’s your favorite video game manual?
The Grind:
Ben: Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. Astroneer.
David: Sunless Skies.
Jala: Octopath Traveler.
Kole: Resident Evil 2.
1 hr 36 min
February 09, 2019The Level 273: Hey Shut Up and Eat Your Soup
Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about the release of Apex Legends, Frost Punk, and we ask you what your longest gaming session was.
The Brief:
Marshmello teams up with Fortnite, which is a thing people might know about.
Respect announces and releases Apex Legends.
There will be a Groundhog Day VR game.
The Wii Shop closing down
The Multiplayer:
What was your longest marathon gaming session?
The Grind:
Ben: Frostpunk.
Jala: Tiny Bird Garden. Octopath Traveler.
Kole: Resident Evil 2.
David: Desolate.
1 hr 50 min
February 02, 2019The Level 272: Technically Not a Door
Kole, Dennis, and David talk about the Steam/Epic/Metro controversy, Resident Evil 2, and we ask you about your favorite video game black sheep.
The Brief:
Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth is like Mansions of Madness with Hobbits.
Valve doesn’t like that Steam has competition.
GameStop cancels lots and lots of Kingdom Hearts 3 preorders.
Metroid Prime 4 restarted, moved to Retro.
Multiplayer:
What is your favorite black sheep game in a beloved series?
The Grind:
Dennis: Gravity Rush 2. Dreams (Beta).
Kole: Resident Evil 2.
David: Desolate.
1 hr 52 min
January 25, 2019The Level 271: ... Monkeys.
Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about Hbomberguy’s fantastic streaming event, Desolate, and we ask you which game you thought you’d hate, but ended up loving.
The Brief:
Hbomberguy raises a tremendous amount of money for Mermaids, a youth trans rights organization.
Amazon is getting into game streaming service (opposite Twitch).
Lots of salt over EA’s canceled Star Wars game.
Eximius DMCA drama, aka publishers are bad.
The Multiplayer:
What’s a game you thought you’d hate, but you actually ended up loving?
The Grind:
Ben: September 1999. What Remains of Edith Finch? Don’t Starve Together.
Kole: New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Silent Hill: Homecoming.
Jala: Octopath Traveler. Tiny Bird Garden. Resident Evil 2 One-Shot Demo.
David: Desolate.
1 hr 47 min
January 19, 2019The Level 270: Pro-No
Kole, Jala, and David talk about the Resident Evil 2 demo, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and we do a free play multiplayer.
The Brief:
Title of the Year 2018 results.
The Multiplayer:
FREE PLAY.
The Grind:
David: Grand Theft Auto Online. Deep Rock Galactic.
Jala: Octopath Traveler.
Kole: Resident Evil 2 Remake Demo. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Final Fantasy XII HD Remaster.
1 hr 49 min
January 11, 2019The Level 269: Picross, Mitochondria, and Despair
Kole, Ben, and Jala talk about Tetris Effect, Stellaris, and we ask you what was the worst game you ever beat.
Be sure to vote in our Title of the Year 2018 poll!
The Brief:
Nintendo Switch and 3DS games added to Humble.
Berlin’s LGBTQ games exhibit.
The Multiplayer:
What’s the worst game you’ve ever beaten?
The Grind:
Kole: Beat Saber. Tetris Effect. Parasite Eve.
Ben: T.I.M.E Stories. Mansions of Madness. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Stellaris. Pipe Push Paradise. Hollow Knight.
Jala: Escape the Room (Board Game). DanganRonpa 2. Octopath Traveler. Three Fourths Home.
1 hr 54 min
December 21, 2018The Level 268: Criming Things
Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Gravity Rush 2, the Kingdom Hearts 3 leak, and we ask you what your personal game of the year was.
The Brief:
Kingdom Hearts 3 leaks.
Google is giving out copies of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, kinda.
Danganronpa creator’s next game, Zanki Zero: Last Beginning comes out in March 2019.
Afonso Ribiero sues Epic over the Carlton Dance being included
Bayani is a fighting game designed to teach you some Filipino history.
The Multiplayer:
What’s your personal game of the year?
The Grind:
Dennis: Borderlands 2: VR. Gravity Rush 2. OnRush. Trackmania. Atlas Reactor.
Kole: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Ben: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Pipe Push Paradise. Layers of Fear. Red Dead Redemption 2.
David: Grand Theft Auto Online.
1 hr 59 min
December 14, 2018The Level 267: Popular Music Man is Wrong
Kole, Jala, and David talk about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Game Awards trailer reveals, and we ask you which single player game you’ve put the most time into.
The Brief:
Game Award trailer reveals.
South Korea cracks down on dodgy eSports practices.
Soulja Boy releases a hilarious console and handheld.
The Multiplayer:
What single player game have you put the most time into?
The Grind:
Kole: Super Smash Bros.: Ultimate. A Room Beyond.
Jala: DanganRonpa 2.
David: Grand Theft Auto V: Online.
1 hr 45 min
December 07, 2018The Level 266: As You Apparently Do
Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about Bethesda’s bag controversy, Penumbra: Requiem, and we ask you which games deserve a sequel (or a better sequel).
The Brief:
Nvidia is demoing AI video rendering.
Rocksteady isn’t making a Superman game.
Bethesda gets in trouble for nylon bags.
Nintendo takes action against YouTubers who upload leaked Smash Bros. soundtrack.
The Multiplayer:
What game deserves a sequel, or a better sequel?
The Grind:
Kole: Penumbra: Requiem.
Ben: Red Dead Redemption 2.
Jala: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.
David: Nothing.
1 hr 46 min

About The Level

From the publisher's feed

The Level is a podcast for people who love video games. It's a weekly roundtable hosted by friends and industry outsiders Kaye Ross, Ben Merkel, Dennis Furia, Moxie, and Jala Prendes. Every Friday, we discuss video game news, the games we've been playing, and listener mail.