Nate's on deadline so it's just Alice and Jonty this week, considering the newly independent Digital Foundry, the not-at-all-newly-scandal-engulfed Roblox, the latest on the Subnautica 2 and Itch.io drama, and all the games we've been playing. Anybody would think this is a podcast about videogames or something.

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

Art by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon. Funding for this entire endeavour is by our Patreon backers and to them we are truly thankful.

Links!

Krafton vs Subnautica devs continues. Digital Foundry on going independent. Roblox banned vigilantes and Lousiana sued Roblox. Alice's new book. The Observer investigation into The Salt Path.

Games!

Rosewater, and Roger, Strange Jigsaws, Occlude, Word Play, Wordatro, Battlefield 6.

Recommendations!

Vivian Dies Again and What a Glut of New Oasis Books is Leaving Unwritten. Palm Springs is on Amazon, not Neflix, we regret the error.

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Alice was out of action this week, so Jonty and Nate met up to ponder Battlefield 6, cringe over Jonty's new collection of sex games, and reposition the Bioshock jar in the fridge. Plus: the thicc man of Europe, the best artillery in videogames, and another attempt at deal-making.

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Art by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

Itch.io is re-indexing free adult content. Countess Lita played No Mercy. Tom Clancy's Tom Clancy was just a huge submarine nerd. GOG gave away a bunch of sex games for freedom. Ars Technica's deep dive on Battlefield and the misery of AAA development. Everybody was playing Battlefront 2 and EA couldn't have cared less. Splinter Cell Conviction at high framerate. God departed RPS and left some parting wisdom on games coverage.

Games!

Battlefront 6. Star Wars Battlefront (2004), Dawn of War, with Winter Assault DLC. Total Annihilation. GTA Online. Splinter Cell Conviction.

Recommendations!

Hit Points and Cells at Work!.

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In a first for us, this week we end up discussing a developing news story, which then further developed after we recorded on Monday night. Had we recorded after Itch also took down adult content we would probably have been less complacent and more angry. As it is, we're still pretty angry about payment processors leveraging their Victorian prudishness to censor the internet. We're also angry at the UK government, the wizard lady author, and Alice's older brother - but that's sort of not his fault.

In happier news, we're not angry at the game discovery app Ludocene, which is actually good, or you, the listeners, who have sent in some nice messages. We welcome further messages, which you can send to us at [email protected].

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Games!

Bollocks Pit.

Links!

Steam took down a bunch of sexy games, which a tedious pressure group claimed responsibility for. Waypoint took down a couple of articles about that, which Streisand-effected Waypoint into near oblivion. After we recorded, Itch delisted anything tagged to indicate it had adult content while it audits everything. Consider all this also in the context of, for example, the UK's tedious and ill-conceived Online Safety Act, which is why you have to give BlueSky your picture and niche cycling forums have closed.

In better news, Ludocene, the game discovery app in testing right now, is good! Alice endorses it.

Recommendations

Jonty recommends the YouTube channel 'British Movie Commentary Collection', which is exactly what it sounds like. Alice recommends the sitcom Such Brave Girls (also please send her pictures of your miniature painting).

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It would be nice to do an episode in which we don't talk about layoffs, wouldn't it, but it's once again the main news event so we have to. Jonty and Nate conferred to despair over Microsoft's cutbacks, consider potential comedy games, and commend some actually good news about games media. Alice is both unwell and furious, for unrelated reasons, but will return for future episodes. You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

Microsoft laid off another 9,000 people despite their roadmap "never looking stronger". Hat Trick are looking for comedy games. News Knight is regrettably still available. MindsEye does not need external saboteurs. Krafton was remarkably snotty about replacing the leadership of Subnautica 2. Kotaku was sold and Paste launched Endless Mode.

Games!

Perfect Dark. Forza Motorsport. Subnautica 2 (and Subnautica). Ark Nova.

Recommendations!

Nate recommends Jurassic World Dominion and Jonty recommends Overclocked: An Archive of Graphics Card Box Art.

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We catch up on the undrama around Mindseye, a game that was both unexpected and unexpectedly terrible. Plus, all of us have actually been playing games this week, and Jonty has his first game of Sweeten The Deal (with poor attempts at speaking French).

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Acast: https://shows.acast.com/total-playtime

Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

Mindseye sucks, but you only think that because you've been paid off, unlike the streamers who had their streams cancelled last minute. NexusMods has new, possibly sus owners.

Games we've been playing

Promise Mascot Agency! Void War! The Baby Steps demo! Date Everything!

Recommendations

Double Fine's post on when Full Throttle released, back issues of The Fortean Times (also my new book is coming out). 

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We're all thoroughly exhausted from Keigh 3, a weekend containing an interminable number of videogame presentations. Join us as we navigate what actually happened at Summer Game Fest, State Of Play, the Xbox Showcase, et al. There are several games we liked!

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Acast: https://shows.acast.com/total-playtime

Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

Jonters has summarised the big three here.

From State Of Play: Pragmata, Baby Steps, Jams Bend Fist Light, the PSVR Thief game, Hirogami.

From Jeff Fest: Resident Evil Requiem, Felt That, Atomic Heart 2

From the Xbox Showcase: There Are No Ghosts At The Grand, Clockwork Revolution, The Outer Worlds 2.

Elsewhere this weekend: Mandrake, Big Walk, The Alters.

Games we've been playing

Duck Detective: The Ghost Of Glamping, Logic Town, Squeakross, Boltgun - Words Of Vengeance, Vampire Survivors.

Recommendations

Jonty has recommended a fishy pasta recipe, and for details you will have to listen to the episode. Alice recommends the artist Abi Stevens.

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This week we, despite all being busted, discuss Palworld's woes, Marathons woes, and also the philosophical question of what it means to be a 'beasted butler'. Plus! Jonty has been playing Helldivers II and getting grit in his shower (the two events are unrelated).

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Acast: https://shows.acast.com/total-playtime

Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

They're making an Elden Ring movie! Unfortunately online games are doomed. Palworld has responded to Ninty's impending copyright claim (also at GamesFray, the author apparently being a Trump fan with a Libertarian streak). What's going on with Marathon? Bungie admit to taking at least one artist's work and the rumour is that Marathon needs to be a top-5-of-the-year game to be considered a success.

Games we talked about

Helldivers 2. Hearthstone. Out Of Hands.

Recommendations

GBOL having adventures in All The Gear, Everyone Is Wrong About The Lamentus, and MV Freedom.

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This week there was even more news about what remains of games media, and a new GTA 6 trailer following the delay of GTA 6, which itself is probably bad news for games media. It's rough out there, folks. We discuss all of these things plus Sean Bean, the joke that will kill Nate, and the GTA feature requests of the Gaming Anti-Pope. Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

Will Alice ever outrun the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Pope Crave accidentally became a real media outlet. Giant Bomb bought Giant Bomb in an all-Jeff transaction. Jeff Prime saluted Kinda Funny. Polygon was bought by Valnet, which is probably bad. The GTA 6 trailer came out and it wasn't on the date predicted.The GTA 6 website contains enough material for like five different magazine cover features, we used to be a country. Do not become addicted to Latinas. Jonty reviewed Revenge of the Savage Planet. Qanon Anonymous.

Games!

Crusader Kings 3, Revenge of the Savage Planet and Skin Deep.

Recommendations:

Alice recommends The failure of Pop Quiz Hotshot, Jonty recommends Carpoolers by Alejandro Cartagena, Nate recommends The Floozies, Marvel Years and Moon Tricks.

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The internet briefly tore itself apart over how good games are allowed to be, most specifically Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a French JRPG (??) that everyone loves - or possibly loves too much. We discuss this, Todd Howard cucking us (and indie games) by shadow-dropping the Oblivion remaster, plus our reviews of Blue Prince and Old Skies.

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Acast: https://shows.acast.com/total-playtime

Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

EA revealed their XCOM but Star Wars game (on the 19th). Sure, whatever. The Oblivion remaster came out, but the Skyblivion folk say they will continue their work. Raw Fury will too, no matter how many times they have to release a game! Clair Obscur is out and did really well and everyone loves it. (FYI the BDS movement is calling for boycotts of Xbox)

Games!

Blue Prince and Old Skies.

Recommendations

Grow your own tomatoes, support trans rights and charities, go to protests and buy from cool trans businesses, creators, authors and artists.

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This week Jonty is away in Europe not doing counter espionage, so Alice and Nate talk about Bungie's new game Marathon, which looks fine, I guess. We discuss whether it's worth going to see the A Minecraft Movie (no). Also, Nate explains Civ 7 and Age Of Empires patches, and forces Alice to design an absurd breakfast.

You can listen to the episode directly right here, or find it in your pod catching apps.

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-playtime/id1790845149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jPv8y9BRzqATFT7zXRxKW

RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6786cf573ceecdbe85eac067

Acast: https://shows.acast.com/total-playtime

Artwork by Marsh Davies. Music by God Ribbon.

Links!

Why hello there, Marathon. Civ 7 and AoEII are both getting updated. Critical support for Phoebe Waller Bridge. No support for Jared Hess.

Games!

Promise Mascot Agency. It's really good!

Recommendations

Nate recommends Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerlands and Alice recommends Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.