Like everyone else, we’re still reeling from the destruction of Polygon and Giant Bomb, but trying to do more than curl up into the fetal position about it. After the most constructive takes on games media we can muster, we talk through a few great games Robin's played recently, put a pin in a not-great one, and check in with Willa’s three favorite things (the Mets, weird New York lore, and gay mutants).

Timestamps:

(00:20) Meet today’s guest, Willa Rowe

(01:20) The shocking delay of GTA 6, which no one saw coming

(06:00) RIP Polygon and Giant Bomb

(12:30) The future of games media, if there is such a thing

(21:21) Navigating games journalism in its death throes

(25:20) You don’t need to pay $80 for games

(30:10) Many Nights a Whisper

(36:30) Ending spoilers for Many Nights a Whisper

(38:00) StarVaders fuuuuuucks

(40:05) We will talk about Clair Obscur at a later date

(41:05) Brief LudoNarraCon shoutouts

(43:30) Surprise Mets/Astoria the turkey update

(46:30) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. The X-Men, Super Cub)

Music:

Street Food by FASSounds

Mentioned this week:

Selkie Harbour

Many Nights A Whisper Lets You Decide What Wishes Are Worth Granting

I Can’t Believe How Good StarVaders’ Deckbuilding Riff On Space Invaders Is

Willa’s deranged Clair Obscur thread

LudoNarraCon talks

The Senga Genesis post

Hazel’s Anime Countryside video

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This week, critic and essayist Autumn Wright joins Robin to talk about Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, a game about growing up as a queer woman that’s just as messy as the real thing. We discuss how the game still works even when it’s fraying at the edges and wonder whether the mid-budget talky game can survive even if Don’t Nod doesn’t.

Timestamps:

(00:20) Welcome Autumn!

(24:50) Tape 1 ending spoilers

(29:10) Tape 1 Spoilers end/Tape 2 spoilers begin

(38:25) Tape 2 ending spoilers begin

(1:17:05) Tape 2 spoilers end/Don’t Nod and conversation games broadly

Music:

Street Food by FASSounds

Mentioned this week:

Autumn on Bloom and Rage Tape 1 and Tape 2

Robin on Bloom and Rage Tape 1 and Tape 2

Follow Autumn on Bluesky

Read Autumn on Unwinnable

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This week, we played a bunch of different games and now we’re gonna talk about them. I don’t know what else you want.

Timestamps:

(01:25) News we don’t care about and jokes we do

(03:00) Sunderfolk

(21:10) Mandragora

(29:30) Shadow of the Colossus

(35:50) Metroid Prime

(44:30) What have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Season of the Witch, The River Has Roots, Taco Bell Quarterly)

Music:

Street Food by FASSounds

Mentioned this week:

Sunderfolk Is An RPG Everyone Can Enjoy, But It Might Be Hard To Love

Mandragora Is The Most Infuriating RPG I’ve Played This Year And I Can’t Put It Down

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The worst February of our lives continues with the release of Hogwarts Legacy. We discuss how the media failed to take its significance seriously, why our reactions are about more than just a game, and why, yes, supporting it does make you a bad person.

We cap off this week’s fun-filled episode with a genuinely much cheerier segment recommending some great games by and about trans people that you should be playing instead.

This episode touches on transphobia throughout. While there's no detailed discussion of any particular transphobic comments or acts, please proceed with caution.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(04:40) The Flaco Report

(07:35) Hogwarts Legacy or: Why your trans friends seem so mad lately

(57:15) Robin tries and fails to recommend a game

(1:00:00) Oh god no we're talking about Harry Potter again

(1:03:40) Trans games you should play instead of Hogwarts Legacy

(1:11:30) What have Willa and Robin been up to this week?

Music:

Street Food by FASSounds

Mentioned this week:

Five key takeaways from Supreme Court ruling

UK Supreme Court Rules That Trans Women Aren’t Women under the Equality Act 2010

Mermaids

Gender Intelligence

Stonewall

Hogwarts Legacy does not deserve to be reviewed on its own merits - GamesHub

There Is No Magic in Hogwarts Legacy - Wired

Trans Witches Are Witches bundle

Trans game recommendations

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Since we’re sure you’re not sick of hearing about the Switch 2, we’re covering the Direct from a couple weeks ago before moving on to the Triple-i Initiative (featuring indie publisher Ubisoft) and a remake of The Talos Principle. Then, of course, Mets updates and baseball players who are “just roommates.”

Timestamps

(02:20) Switch 2 hardware

(16:40) Switch 2 games

(37:50) Triple-i Initiative

(48:45) The Talos Principle

(1:00:15) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. buying zines, Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne, and dotzip’s Pale Dot episode)

(1:09:00) The Mets/baseball players saying the f-slur update

Mentioned this week

The Triple-i Initiative

Neverway

Into the Fire

Opus: Prism Peak

Over the Hill

A godawful Atlantic article we briefly make fun of

Alyssa Van Hulle

Amy Lovvik

Kyle Fewell

Neve M.A.

Teo Suzuki

Tuyetnhi P.

Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne

Exploring the Galaxy in Pale Dot - dotzip

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While we take the week off, we’re re-airing a 2023 interview with Rue Dickey, who’s currently organizing the TTRPGs for Trans Right Ohio charity bundle on Itch.io. In the episode, Willa and Robin speak to Rue about a similar, very successful bundle they organized for trans charities in Florida two years ago.

Listen in as we discuss the realities of fundraising, why tabletop games are so darn gay, what YOU can do to help queer people around you, and of course our mutual love of tieflings. Plus, Rue shares some of their personal picks from the 2023 bundle!

Timestamps

(00:10) What’s going on this week

(04:30) Our 2023 interview with Rue

Mentioned this week

TTRPGs for Trans Rights - Ohio

Kaleidoscope Youth Center

TransOhio

A 2022 interview between Robin and Rue

Rue's website

Zebra Youth

Transinclusive Group

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This week, Nintendo sends off the Switch with one of the weirdest Directs ever and we’re here to talk through the 30 percent of it that was actually interesting to us. Then, after a brainstorming session about Sabrina Carpenter and Xenoblade Chronicles, we half-heartedly predict what’s coming at the Switch 2 Direct that you probably just watched.

Timestamps

(00:20) All of our beautiful boys are back

(04:30) Sicko Direct

(25:40) Our extremely noncommittal Switch 2 predictions

(36:55) The only good games media news in the past two years

(41:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Xenoblade Chronicles X, Ice Cream Fever, Fringe)

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This week, Willa and Robin are playing the game everyone is playing for the first and maybe last time this year. Then, a game where you kill God, and an awards show that doesn't make you want to kill the concept of video games.

Timestamps

(00:20) Assassin’s Creed Shadows is pretty good for a AAA game

(49:20) Light spoilers for one Assassin’s Creed Shadows quest

(51:30) Attacking and dethroning God in 33 Immortals

(59:35) Sam Lake made me cry about video games at the GDC Awards

(1:07:20) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Expelled!, Deep Rock Galactic)

Mentioned this week

IGF and GDC Awards

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