Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly, where each co-host chooses a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our pod partner. We both play through the aforementioned game and then ask our co-host to score the game out of 10, based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!

The games we've picked out for random review this week are:

• Ghostwire: Tokyo (2022, PS5)

• Firewatch (2016, Xbox Series)

If you enjoy spending time finger blasting demons (careful now...) or critiquing the work of 'Fire Lookout' heroes then this is the episode for you!

Enjoy the pod.

Your favourite two muppets are back together for the first time in a while as Rich returns from his Japanese jaunt. This is handy as this weeks episode of Living La Vita Loca Podcast is sponsored by the letter 'E'! (Yes, Sesame Street is officially considered to be part of The Muppets)

Why are we sponsored by 'E' you most definitely ask us? Well, we've gone with a theme this week. We've managed to pull together three puzzle games, where the ultimate aim is to escape, and they all begin with the letter 'E'. (It was rather easy, economical and effortless weirdly.)

Something scary must have happened to Rich on the Japanese subway because he's decided to review an unsettling adventure video game all about... being stuck in the Japanese subway. The Exit 8 (2023, PC) is a bit of a cultural phenomenon in Japan and has already spawned a successful movie adaptation. Can you escape its gravitational pull?

Slightly less terrifying but no less perplexing, Fazz opts to prattle on about a pair of PSP puzzlers. Exit (2005, PSP) and Echochrome (2008, PSP) were both well regarded on release and have probably had their fair share of play time on the Japanese transport system in the past. Can they escape the ire of our drab scoring system and leave Fazz ecstatic?

Embrace the E on this edition of Living La VEEta Loca Podcast.

Question: How do you get a guest onto your bang average video gaming podcast? You Pok-em-on! Geddit? Ahhhhh, you guys get it.

Anyway... we have a Wailord-sized conversation for you this episode. It's a little unfortunate that Fazz sounds like he's gone swimming with Magikarp but luckily we have @swiss_stadia (Paddy Gunn) filling in on co-hosting duties this week and he sounds better than a Jigglypuff's lullaby.

After a quick reintroduction to Paddy's love for Swiss football stadia, we wind our way down to the Pokemon Stadium (N64) via memory lane. How functional is a game in 2025 that is so intrinsically linked with the late 90's? We dive into Nintendo Switch Online to find out.

We also discuss what makes (made?) Pokemon video games so special, for so many people, for such a long time and if they still sparkle like a shiny holo Charizard in today's gaming amphitheatre?

We round things out with our personal favourite Pokemon team draft. Who are we imprisoning in a tiny ball and stuffing into our back pockets first? And why is it definitely not Mr Mime, you weird, strange little freak...

Enjoy the pod.

"The power of love is a curious thing. Makes one man weep, makes another man... invite his reluctant wife onto an amateur video gaming podcast to cover for a week whilst his usual podcast partner is away." Everybody knows thats how the song goes right?

Huey Lewis and the News owe 'Back to the Future' a lot. Around these parts, We think we ALL owe 'Back to the Future' a lot. As far as Fazz is concerned, he thinks it may be directly related to the actual conception of his couch partner whilst for many others, it's possibly one of the best movies ever created.

40 years after the original movie's release, we take a fond look back at Marty trying to, well, get Back. But what of its sequels? (And yes, we're including Back to the Future: The Game in that bucket too). How does the rest of the franchise fare comparatively to BTTF?

Fast forward through time to 2010 and Telltale Games and Universal Studios felt there was more to give fans of the series via a 3D adventure story game. Were they right to risk the whole damn space time continuum to bring us a new installment of Back to the Future?

Let us take you away in (Po)Delorean and we can find out together. We promise you that we'll get you Back in Time.

Enjoy the pod. Buttheads.

With Rich away for a little while, Fazz has decided to invite a few of his best buddies out for a night on the town in Leeds. Welcome back to LLVL podcast @c.t.baird & @hefferinaaron!

Ahhhhh who doesn't love to go clubbing at a weekend? These three late 30's year olds, thats who! Well, there actually is one club in town where we feel welcome on a Saturday night... Arcade Club! (www.arcadeclub.co.uk)

The original Arcade Club was opened in an old mill in Bury in 2015 and has gone from strength to strength opening sites in Leeds and Blackpool in recent years. We are regular visitors to the Leeds branch, just a few miles from our house and its definitely helped inspire our podcast over the years.

We cannot recommend visiting enough so we thought we should give it a thorough review and a score on our coveted spreadsheet!

This podcast was recorded on a warm but windy night in May 2025, in a local beer garden immediately after a visit to Arcade Club. Expect insightful conversations about learning Japanese through clay pigeon shooting and potential emergency service callouts caused by bottles of cider.

Enjoy the pod.

Hi Podfans

Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly where we both pick a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our co-host. We then review said game on the podcast and ask our co-host to score the game out of 10 based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!

The games we've picked out for random review this week are:

• Medal of Honor: Airborne (2007, Xbox 360)

• Super Locomotive (1982, Arcade via 2022, Sega Mega Drive Mini 2)

Absolutely ridiculous questions arise from our conversations such as:

- Why are muscle-clad steam engines haunting Fazz's dreams?

- How many grenades is just too many grenades?

- Do you need a rare candy to evolve an M1 Garand?

All of the above and a modicum of actual video game chat on this week's LLVL podcast. Choo choo!

Hi Podfans

Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly where we both pick a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our co-host. We then review said video game on the podcast and ask our co-host to score the game out of 10 based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!

The games we've picked out for random review this week are:

• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (2024, PS4)

• The Kung Fu/China Warrior (1987, PC Engine)

Pertinent questions we ask this week are:

• What is SOTNitis and can you catch it through metroidvania's?

• Have you visited to freaky Mount Queef?

• If sticks and stones may break your bones, what do teeny, tiny fireballs do?

All the above and some actual video game chat on this week's LLVL podcast. Enjoy!

"What were you doing 20 years ago today?" There aren't many days that you can turn around and answer that clearly without skipping a beat but the 1st September 2005 was different. It was unique. It was thrilling. It was once in a lifetime stuff for some of us and it was memorable...

Join us as we celebrate 20 years since the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) launched in Europe. We muse over what it meant for gaming and for us personally? Just how innovative was the PSP in 2005?

Furthermore, we all know that a hardware launch is only as good as the software that supports it (We're looking at you Nintendo Switch 2) Therefore, we decide to spend a large chunk of this pod discussing & drafting our favourite PSP European launch titles into teams. Because... you know... fun?!?

The PSP is dead... Long live the PSP.