214: Bubsy Is a Draft Dodger
This week we get into a young man's first Mass Effect, Brad's tumble back down the Death Stranding 2 hole, Vinny finishing Shinobi, Alex making stern faces at Madden, a portable PlayStation 6 (??), Take-Two's nearly closed deal to pick up Perfect Dark, Saudi Arabia's new ownership stake in Evo, grandfathers who love Bubsy, old jokes that never actually existed, the enduring cultural influence o...
2hr 24m Sep 04, 2025
2hr 24m
213: The Garbage-to-Gold Ratio
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is our top game this week, plus one of us gets an up-close look at Bubsy 4D, the Hollow Knight Silksong release date fallout, Forza Horizon might be headed to Japan, Atari now owns Child of Eden and Grow Home, some highly important games are coming to the Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, and more. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for version...
2hr 2m Aug 28, 2025
2hr 2m
212: Cheaters Never Win
This week: New video games! Sword of the Sea, Is This Seat Taken?, and yes, the annual Madden check-in. In the news, PS5 price increases in the US, Halo on a PlayStation (sort of), a Gamescom wrap-up including Road Kings, WH40K: Dawn of War IV, and uh, Bubsy 4D, and lastly... maybe Hollow Knight Silksong is getting a release date. Or maybe it's just out now? CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some tim...
1hr 53m Aug 21, 2025
1hr 53m
211: Destroy the Mouth!
This week we get extra retro with Gradius Origins, Operation Night Strikers, The Scouring, and (in a way) Mafia: The Old Country. Also: pressure builds inside Xbox against Microsoft's support of Israel's actions in Gaza, Switch 2 dev kits are still pretty scarce, more game cancellations and studio closures continue to be a fact of life, and more. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may b...
2hr 8m Aug 14, 2025
2hr 8m
210: From EV to EVO
Alex dips back into the FGC tournament scene and then mixes it up with Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Vinny takes the long EV trip and finishes DK Bananza, and Brad mixes it up arcade-style with Rhythm Storm and Earthion. Plus, the Switch is getting pricier in the US, BioShock 4 might be troubled, itch.io (https://itch.io/) begins to address its recent content purge, and more. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NO...
2hr 6m Aug 07, 2025
2hr 6m
209: Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Wheel
Video games! We talk about some this week, like Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Wheel World, Grounded 2, Wildgate, and more DK Bananza, plus news like the purging of adult games from Steam and https://itch.io, Sony's lawsuit against Tencent's Horizon clone, Atari's acquisition of Thunderful, and the momentous and long-overdue return of Mario Paint to a modern Nintendo platform. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NO...
1hr 59m Jul 31, 2025
1hr 59m
208: Oh, Banana!
The gang's all here and going, uh, bananas for Donkey Kong Bananza, plus Shadow Labyrinth, The Drifter, and more Death Stranding and MindsEye. In the news, Splitgate 2 prepares to unrelease, From Software might have another new game in the works, and Hellraiser is finally getting that video game after nearly 40 years. All that, plus your emails! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be...
1hr 57m Jul 24, 2025
1hr 57m
207: The Unified Megami Tensei Theory
Friend of the show Lex Luddy joins us to talk about how Death Stranding 2 holds up, the Megami Tensei Universe, and what exactly constitutes an Irish Pub. Vinny shares his closing thoughts on Assassin's Creed Shadows and Alex helps us unpack the week's news! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad inserti...
2hr 38m Jul 17, 2025
2hr 38m
Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 008: Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time!
We're on break this week, so we bring you another hit from the Never Been a Better archives, when Abby Russell and Austin Walker joined us to talk about dream jobs, Generation Alpha, and much more! CHAPTERS (00:01:12) (Flawless) Intro (00:02:29) Abby Russell is here! (00:02:48) Austin Walker is here! (00:03:34) Alex Navarro is here! (00:04:43) To 2023 and getting together with friends (00:06:...
1hr 6m Jul 09, 2025
1hr 6m
206: When Everything Is an Xbox, Nothing Is an Xbox
We unfortunately have to start this week's episode with the brutal cuts at Xbox, which saw studios shuttered and projects like Everwild and Perfect Dark straight up cancelled, but also touch on Donkey Kong Bananza and the next 3D Mario game, get way deeper into Death Stranding 2, try to make sense of the increasingly fantastic casting for the new Street Fighter movie, and more. CHAPTERS (00:0...
2hr 34m Jul 03, 2025
2hr 34m
205: Altered Beast Is Not a Beat 'Em Up
Death Stranding 2 is upon us and dominates the first hour of the show this week, Vinny finished Clair Obscur, Brad will (probably not) be playing more Hopshot, more layoffs at Xbox and Build a Rocket Boy, Sega leaks a bunch of sales figures, Nickelodeon is mashing up with Sonic, a great brawler debate ensues, and more. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions ot...
2hr 46m Jun 26, 2025
2hr 46m
204: My Favorite Balls
It's the season of Fests (both Summer Game and Steam Next) and between the two, one metric tonne of video games is discussed on the show this week, including FBC Firebreak, Dying Light: The Beast, Dosa Divas, Snap & Grab, Directive 8020, Blighted, Ratatan, Ball x Pit, Dispatch, Baby Steps, and Peak. Also: the Marathon delay, official word from Microsoft about opening up the next Xbox, Beat Sabe...
2hr 38m Jun 19, 2025
2hr 38m
203: Three Games Makes a Launch Lineup
Between the Switch 2's arrival, hours of Summer Game Fest streams, and Brad's return from checking out many games (and one above-it-all cat) in Los Angeles, a single podcast episode can barely contain all this discussion, but we do our best to cram in chat about Mario Kart World, Resident Evil: Requiem, Lumines Arise, an impromptu ranking of Nintendo console launches, and a bunch of other stuff...
2hr 56m Jun 12, 2025
2hr 56m
202: How Tight Is Your Frunk?
Based on feedback from last week this might just be a car podcast now, but we also discuss the Switch 2 launch news that's starting to trickle out, Brad's deep dive into Elden Ring Nightreign, details on EA's cancelled Black Panther game, new footage from The Witcher 4, some questionably timed State of Play predictions, and more. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for ...
2hr 2m Jun 05, 2025
2hr 2m
201: Mark Ruffalo as the Dung Eater
It's time to talk into microphones about video games (and other things) once again, with chat this week about To a T, TMNT Tactical Takedown, Siegecaster, the big Fortnite buy, the cancellation of Battle Aces and EA's Black Panther, USB mouse support on the Switch 2, Alex Garland's Elden Ring, the most Peter Molyneux quote ever, Vinny's car hunt, and more. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timec...
2hr 25m May 29, 2025
2hr 25m
200: The Return of Edge Casey
TWO HUNDRED EPISODES? We don't believe it either, but believe this: We cover everything from Sunderfolk to Deliver at All Costs, Fortnite's AI Darth Vader mess, plagiarism in Marathon, Switch 2 launch coverage, the Summer Game Fest vibe, and plenty more on this week's show. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dy...
2hr 23m May 22, 2025
2hr 23m
199: Need for Affleck
This week: There's a new Doom game out and court has adjourned long enough for Brad to deliver a verdict on it, Vinny clicks around in Loco Motive, we debate the coming of the FRPG era, the Switch 2 is getting some Very Important Features, Walton Goggins has a business he'd like you to know about, and a bunch more. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other ...
2hr 18m May 15, 2025
2hr 18m
198: I'm Worth It!
We attempt to grapple with the job losses at Polygon and Giant Bomb (and dig into some of our own time at GB) this week, before diving into the ARC Raiders tech test, the end of Lost Records, Vinny's deepening love of Hollow Knight, the increasing absurdity of Skin Deep, the GTA 6 delay and new trailer, increasing Xbox prices, Gears on PlayStation, and some housekeeping notes for the next few w...
3hr 1m May 08, 2025
3hr 1m
197: Mind Your Ps and Es
We're awash in games this week with Skin Deep, Clair Obscur, the Marathon alpha, and a bunch of other stuff we're continuing to play. In the news, the cancelled Titanfall extraction shooter and more hardware makers like 8BitDo suspending shipments into the United States. Then an emails section flush with the straight scoop on subjects like being a Green Bay Packers shareholder, doing publicity ...
2hr 28m May 01, 2025
2hr 28m
196: He's Got Gambling Hair
We played a slew of games this week like Tempest Rising, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, Bionic Bay, and more Blue Prince and Battle Aces, plus: the Switch 2 preorder plan of attack, Ghost of Yotei gets a date, Michael Bay's OutRun is going to be the biggest movie of the world, the high-risk world of NFL draft betting, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/cha...
2hr 30m Apr 24, 2025
2hr 30m
195: StreetPassing at the Spiritbox Show
This week, Blue Prince has snared a couple of us (sort of), another couple of us can't seem to stop playing AC Shadows, and... Gradius III makes a surprise appearance? In the news, the BDS Xbox boycott, the Marathon reveal, Oblivion Remastered media leaks, the PS5 is getting more expensive. Plus a New Zealand slang primer, whipping out your 3DS at the metal show, and more! Advertise on The Nex...
2hr 5m Apr 17, 2025
2hr 5m
Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 007: I Definitely Saw No Hemipenis!
While we're out this week, we bring you another blast from the Never Been a Better past, all the way back in December 2022, when Abby Russell and Jeff Bakalar joined us to share tales of holiday mishaps, immortal pets, and much more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/advertisers) , or support ...
1hr 14m Apr 10, 2025
1hr 14m
194: This Issue Is Being Investigated
It happened: They took the wraps off the Switch 2 (for real this time). Will Smith joins us to break down the price, hardware specs and features, backwards compatibility, and launch-ish games like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the most important launch title of all: the Switch 2 Welcome Tour. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlande...
2hr 58m Apr 03, 2025
2hr 58m
193: Last Time in the Ding-Dong Hole
We've got one week left before the big Switch 2 reveal, so hop in the ding-dong hole for one last round of rumors and speculation, plus plenty of other chatter about Atomfall, more AC: Shadows and 33 Immortals, Revenge of the Savage Planet, Josef Fares' Willy Wonka moment, a good week for games media, the landmark release of Big Rigs on Steam, and our exhaustive analysis of Apple Music's idea o...
1hr 59m Mar 27, 2025
1hr 59m
192: A Grunge Smoothie
We talk for like an hour about Assassin's Creed Shadows this week, plus 33 Immortals, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (big week for 33 around here), Keita Takahashi's To a T, a $500 Switch 2, Xbox's gaming Copilot AI, the strange possibilities of an Oblivion remake, a little about GDC, and more. Here's the essay about Oblivion's Radiant AI we talked about a bit: https://medium.com/@gatherer286/los...
2hr 39m Mar 20, 2025
2hr 39m
191: Pillows of Eternity
There might be an Xbox handheld launching this year (?!), plus the actual next Xbox in 2027, and we get together to talk all about that, along with the fairly unhinged new Death Stranding 2 trailer, WWE 2K25, Deliver at All Costs, returning to PUBG in 2025, top-tier comedy sketches, lighting your sardines on fire, and a bunch of other stuff. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audiobo...
2hr 25m Mar 13, 2025
2hr 25m
190: Big Buccaneer Hunter
While we spend a good part of this week's show grappling with the resurrection of the Acclaim name, we also find time to discuss Split Fiction, Knights in Tight Spaces, Gears of War on PS5, buying a (cheap) record player, the whereabouts of Bam Margera, a big week for video game source code, and the Sonic Unleashed PC port with big implications for Xbox 360 game preservation. Advertise on The ...
2hr 19m Mar 06, 2025
2hr 19m
189: Return to the Upper Yo
This week we attempt to get back to the positive end of the yo-yo cycle by playing Monster Hunter Wilds, LAD: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, more Avowed, and some Steam Next Fest demos, plus the shocking closure of Monolith, some new Fable footage, Microsoft's games AI model, and your emails! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audio...
2hr 42m Feb 27, 2025
2hr 42m
188: The Garrus Gambit
This week we're wowed by Avowed (sorry), and also playing Void Crew, Keep Driving, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. In the news, shocking Marvel Rivals layoffs, a State of Play impressions roundup, Grand Theft Auto Online's user-generated future, and Everwild still exists. Also there might be an asteroid on the way? Tune in and hear all about it! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://aud...
2hr 24m Feb 20, 2025
2hr 24m
187: A Podcast About A Game About Digging a Hole
Brad and Vinny dig holes this week and have a great time doing it, Alex dons his Civilization hat once again, and we all consider this weekend's mysterious PSN outage, the tumultuous development of Monolith's Wonder Woman, yet another Arkham game from Rocksteady, an upside-down Switch 2, the release date of Grand Theft Auto 7, and some rapid-fire State of Play coverage. Advertise on The Nextla...
2hr 31m Feb 13, 2025
2hr 31m
186: The Blood God Jonathan Davis
Before February really gets going, we check in with some new indies this week like While Waiting and Rift of the Necrodancer, catch up on news about downsizing at BioWare and Iron Galaxy, Forza Horizon 5 on PS5, the Sleeping Dogs movie, and the long lost Nintendo PlayStation game, learn some interesting facts about industrial paper cutters, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https:...
1hr 53m Feb 06, 2025
1hr 53m
185: An A-Tier Pac-Main
We played a bunch of games this week and now we're here to talk about 'em, including Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Total War: Warhammer III, Crow Country, and... Smash Ultimate? and... Hollow Knight? Plus, in the news, Ninja Gaiden 4, the Celeste dev's next game is canceled, the VGHF opens its digital archives, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/ch...
2hr 2m Jan 30, 2025
2hr 2m
184: The Fear & Greed Index
We've got a spate of new and upcoming games to talk about this week, including Assassin's Creed Shadows, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Dynasty Warriors Origins, plus they announced the new Switch! They announced the new Switch. Also: looming tariffs in the US that may raise game prices, Bluepoint's canceled online God of War game, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com...
2hr 7m Jan 23, 2025
2hr 7m
183: Creative Solutions to Stupid Problems
Are they going to announce the Switch 2 this week? Did they announce it already? Is this long nightmare almost over? While we debate those questions, we also discuss The Roottrees Are Dead, Hyper Light Breaker, the "legendary" Japanese IP possibly being resurrected by Xbox, and moshing at Games Done Quick. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextland...
1hr 41m Jan 16, 2025
1hr 41m
182: Dumped in a Food Court
We're barely a week into 2025 and we basically already know what the Switch 2 looks like thanks to CES, plus new GeForce cards, PlayStation movies, and Steam Deck-likes. Also, games we caught up on during the break like Caves of Qud, LOK Digital, Indiana Jones, and Clone Hero, the best restaurants to drown your sorrows in, and the ever-increasing absurdity of the Terminator franchise. Advertis...
2hr 13m Jan 09, 2025
2hr 13m
181: Game of the Year 2024, Part 2
We conclude our rundown of our favorite games of the year this week, focusing on the top four spots on each of our personal top 10 lists, plus some honorable mentions for the games that almost made it. Thanks for listening and happy new year! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/advertisers) , or...
1hr 50m Jan 02, 2025
1hr 50m
180: Game of the Year 2024, Part 1
This year, we get together for a nice, casual, conflict-free two-part dissection of our personal favorite games of the year, with a focus in this first installment on numbers 10 through 5. Hope everyone is having a nice holiday, and thanks as always for your support! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audiob...
1hr 51m Dec 26, 2024
1hr 51m
179: Zenless Zone Zenzo
Sandwiched right between 2024's game calendar winding down and our GOTY podcasts kicking off next week, why... it's the Game Awards! We spend this week's show dissecting all the news about The Witcher 4, the Okami sequel, Naughty Dog's new IP, and plenty of other stuff. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://aud...
1hr 47m Dec 19, 2024
1hr 47m
178: creepy brother sister coffee commercial
The holidays approach, so we're in GOTY cramming mode with discussions this week about such games as Indiana Jones, Mouthwashing, Infinity Nikki, Beyond Galaxyland, Kill Knight, and Marvel Rivals, plus some loose Game Awards predictions, emails, and plenty more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.c...
2hr 5m Dec 12, 2024
2hr 5m
177: San Francisco's Not a Minion Town
We're back from Thanksgiving and catching up on the news (Sony might be making a handheld, Ubisoft is shutting down Xdefiant, NES Tetris returns at last), games (Star Wars Outlaws, Dragon Age, STALKER 2), and your emails (Alex's celebrity doppelganger, our dream farewell concerts). Podcast! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at A...
2hr 4m Dec 05, 2024
2hr 4m
Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 006: The World's Greatest Detective in Your Mouth
With the NXL crew off for the holiday, we bring you another very special episode of Never Been a Better Podcast featuring Austin Walker, Jeff Bakalar, and lengthy discussions about Jell-O universes and pizza drones. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/advertisers) , or support us on Patreon (htt...
1hr 20m Nov 28, 2024
1hr 20m
176: Positive Hanson Energy
MinnMax's Ben Hanson stops by to share production stories, his love for Final Fantsy 7: Rebirth, his thoughts on The Game Awards nominees, and much more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/advertisers) , or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/nextlander) ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE:...
2hr 17m Nov 21, 2024
2hr 17m
175: Wouldst Thou Like to Switch Deliciously?
This week, video games and the people who love them: the PlayStation 5 Pro, Rise of the Golden Idol, Tetris Forever, the return of Battle Aces, backwards compatibility on the successor to Nintendo Switch, a future handheld Xbox, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/advertisers) , or sup...
1hr 42m Nov 14, 2024
1hr 42m
174: Another One in the Woods With Spirits
Time to talk about video games into microphones again, with chatter this week about the great Call of Duty account fiasco, Metal Slug Tactics, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the full list of PS5 Pro games, big changes coming to Star Wars Outlaws, how to put in your two weeks, dream airplane gaming setups, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nex...
1hr 40m Nov 07, 2024
1hr 40m
173: Consider Duck Hunt
They did it: they shipped a new Dragon Age game, and we grapple with this momentous event, along with the definitive end of Concord and Firewalk Studios, a disappointing decision from the US Copyright Office about old game access. Plus, our thoughts on Echo Point Nova, the Vampire Survivors Castlevania DLC, Sonic x Shadow Generations, the Shadows of the Damned remaster, our group-pizza dealbrea...
1hr 57m Oct 31, 2024
1hr 57m
172: The Bloober Redemption Arc
New on the show this week: Fear the Spotlight, Neva, and some hot Steam Next Fest recs. Plus, follow-ups on the Silent Hill 2 remake, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Phoenix Springs, along with Remedy's reveal of FBC: Firebreak, Nintendo's maybe-sorta MMO/crafting playtest, no Prince of Persia sequels anytime soon, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116...
1hr 39m Oct 24, 2024
1hr 39m
171: It's-a Morning!
This week on the show we discuss Vinny's journey into the wilds of Windows 11, games like Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Phoenix Springs, and Space Marine 2, the alarmo-ing news about the origin of Pokemon, fear of flying professionally, the goth-child duality, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audio...
1hr 53m Oct 17, 2024
1hr 53m
170: Behind the Blizzard
Jason Schreier joins us on a deep dive about the history, making, and almost undoing of Blizzard as chronicled in his new book Play Nice. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/advertisers) , or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/nextlander) ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes ...
2hr 24m Oct 10, 2024
2hr 24m
169: Spookin' with Scoops
What gets horror aficionado Patrick Klepek scared? Find out as he joins us to chat scary movies, Echoes of Wisdom, and much more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-nextlander-podcast) at Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/advertisers) , or support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/nextlander) ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be i...
2hr 11m Oct 03, 2024
2hr 11m
168: Survive? Let's Thrive!
Assassin's Creed Shadows got delayed in the middle of this podcast, so we discuss that, Ghost of Yotei, Vinny's trip to the Grand Canyon to play Flight Simulator 2024, Frostpunk 2, Deathsprint 66, Beyond Shadowgate, the Nintendo/Palworld lawsuit, the unlikely end of Kingdom Hearts, and like a hundred other things! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast (https://audioboom.com/channels/5116059-the-...
2hr 28m Sep 26, 2024
2hr 28m