Dante Douglas – writer, designer, and one of the editors-in-chief over at Deorbital – joins the show this week, wearing the dual hats of press and developer and discussing how there’s no real division between them.

We also cover the differences we find in artistic games criticism versus mechanical games criticism and everyone’s difficulty in separating critical analysis from one’s taste in games.

Games include Hades.

A new chapter is etched into the annals of gaming as two tech giants enter the arena. The masses cheer! Google Stadia! Apple Arcade! Shall these titans bring with them the dawning of a new age, or will they plunge us all into the yawning abyss?

This week, we also discuss some takeaways from GDC and PAX East, dying shadows and internet fugitives, and our new show – Attract Mode! – which you can find on iTunes, Google Play, or via RSS.

Games include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Hypnospace Outlaw.

Hidden Gems returns home to PAX East to showcase the latest and greatest gems on the show floor. Join Dylan Ilvento, Nelson Johnson, Felix Kramer, and Sarah Elmaleh as they highlight games both obscure and overlooked at PAX. Follow along with the panel slides here.

From the panel description:

“You’re at PAX, and you’re excited to try and see everything the show has to offer. Problem is, where do you start? For the third year in a row, we’re bringing Hidden Gems back to PAX East to bring you all the cool, new, and unexpected games at the show. With our collective knowledge of the games industry, we’ll showcase handpicked games and experiences that you won’t want to miss.”

Games include tri.Attack; Sayonara Wild Hearts; Mutazione; Flotsam; Bloodroots; Creature in the Well; Industries of Titan; Treachery in Beatdown City; Stacks on Stacks (on Stacks); Get in the Car, Loser!; Afterparty; Where the Bees Make Honey; Kaisuo; and Crosshatch.

Games? They’re so passé. It’s all about movies now.

Sike! Ha-ha, got ya! When we’re not insurance adjusting on an abandoned ship, we’re getting back into the groove, celebrating our favorite super party, and figuring out what color our lightsaber is.

Games include Return of the Obra Dinn, Toejam & Earl, Super Mario Party, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Apex Legends, Hand of Fate, and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

It’s GDC week, and to celebrate, Dylan is rejoined by friend of the show Callum Underwood,  Senior Scout at Raw Fury, Director of Special Projects at the SUPERHOT Team, and Head of Games and eSports at Caffeine.

To get ourselves ready for GDC, we discuss how you can prepare for the show, whether your goal is networking, pitching your game, or simply hanging out. And on the publishing side, Callum discusses what you should have ready when pitching your game to indie publishers and why pitching can often suck.

We also take some time to learn some US geography and regale ourselves with Callum’s journey of bringing his Snorlax home.

We’ve got a radical episode for y’all this week.

When we’re not hypothesizing about Beanie Baby Soulsbornes, we’re watching Movie Sonic getting unleashed onto the world.

Nelson finds pleasure in Dee Em Cee Vee, and we gird ourselves in the wake of upcoming conventions, hardware announcements, and more!

Games include Devil May Cry 5, Final Fantasy IX, and Pikuniku.

A string of absences and illnesses hits the Wardcast hard. This week, Dylan is joined by “YouTube Joe” Wetmore to talk about topics a-plenty, including a short Nintendo Direct and a tall Nintendo retiree.

We converse about the week’s disturbing THQ debacle and an unfortunately swift round of layoffs, all the while letting the GaaS out of the looty shooty genre.

Games include Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Apex Legends, Brawl Stars, Snake, Minesweeper, 12 Orbits, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

This week, the Wardcast is beginning to reach full strength, with Dylan, Alex, and Nelson discussing childhood pranks, getting to the bottom of the 3D2D genre, and the history of the Keyblade Wars.

We’re all still fully in the grips of ApeLeg addiction, but we pull ourselves out of the miasma long enough to talk about the latest Nintendo Direct, which leaves Animal Crossing fans out in the cold in favor of the Mario Maker faithful while also showcasing Goku-lookin’ RPGs, the morality of anime cops, and something called a tsum tsum?

Games include Brawl Stars, Apex Legends, Tetris 99, Yoshi’s Crafted World, and Daemon X Machina.