gaming related podcasts?

[S1500]

With growing bored of my MP3s, I decided to embark on gaming-related podcasts. Many are from video game related websites which you know are a dime a dozen. Here's what I found:

 

1. retronauts - Not a bad show. They talk about video games after the Atari era. So it's like Japan. Okay, sometimes pre-crash era things are mentioned, but it's mostly 8 & 16 bit games.

 

2. We Talk Games - One one the hosts is a serious wacko, reminding me of The Space Boss. Downside: Some episodes are almost THREE HOURS LONG. Cap it to an hour.

 

3. Xbox 360 fanboy - It's okay(see below). hey, it's 360 talk.

 

 

 

 

Oddballs:

 

1. Some french video cast with episodes 3 minutes long. Im not at home, so I don't know the name offhand. I don't speak a lick of French, but its fun to watch. He focuses heavily on pre-crash items. GamerOne maybe?

 

2. Awesome Video Games - but you knew that already. Still more entertaining than anything on G4.

 

3. Benheck's podcast. Nothing about his video game console hacking work. Not worth subscribing to, sadly.

 

 

 

 

The "oh just please podcast it already won't you?" list

 

1. Retro Gaming Radio - Haven't listented to it yet, but imagine how easy it would be if you listed it on Itunes.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion:

 

There's a saturation of podcasts from 20-somethings talking about xbox 360 achievements and stuff. Really. Let's spice it up a bit. C'mon I would rather hear the Secret Illuminati of Jaguar Owners podcast, that is if I knew the secret members-only handshake to find the RSS feed. There's only two retro gaming related pocasts? I guess that will have to do.

[RJ]

Try RetroForceGO! over on www.destructoid.com. It's one of the few I listen to regularly. The recent episode was Disney games but they spent most of their time singing Disney songs...

 

Also try Drunken Gamer's Radio, those guys are quite funny & are local but ***PROFANITY ALERT!*** Boy do they swear a lot! I try to catch the store names they drop when they mention buying stuff & found some I never heard of. They revamped their site from TeamFremont.com, the change is a bit iffy so far IMO.

 

RetroGaming Radio- Shane drones on & on & on so much I decided to stop listening, havent heard it in awhile. I tried to get it again but cant find a link to it on his site monroeworld.com.

 

For 99% modern gaming (they did a short Dreamcast salute last week), check kfan.com for Video Games Weekly, it's on a dropdown menu under "Fan On Demand" on their homepage. They always have someone from Game Informer stop by. Under an hour & professional quality, as it's broadcast on KFAN every Wed from 9-10pm though they said that may change due to more upcoming sports broadcasts.

 

 

Retronauts is OK-good, depends on the subject. They all really know the material but the mian prob. I have is they try to talk over each other. it's been better recently so maybe someone told them Oh, & she hasnt been on lately but Jenn Frank gets on your nerves, she's on some of the archived p/casts.

 

Yeah, the archives for each of the above should keep you busy/happy awhile... Let us know what you think of them!

Edited September 19, 2008 by RJ

[rsiddall]

I listen to:

Xbox Live's Major Nelson Radio (Xbox360) approx. 1hr. It's entertaining and informative if you love the 360.

 

I watch (video podcast) these usually run 2-3 mins.:

X-Play Game Previews

X-Play's Daily Video Podcast

Sessler's Soapbox

 

I've got a 25 minute commute and listen to the audio podcasts on my Zune on the way to work.

[S1500]

Try RetroForceGO! over on www.destructoid.com. It's one of the few I listen to regularly. The recent episode was Disney games but they spent most of their time singing Disney songs...

 

I tried the lenghtly destructoid.com podcast today. The first 20 minutes were some story of drunken antics. Nothing to do with the podcast topic. Some of these podcasts really need to tighten up on their content. Of course, the swearing every 20 seconds is unavoidable.

 

I'm not saying go all-out, but have your podcasts not be "let's listen in to you & 2 of your friends for an hour having a convo", which sadly what the benheck ones are like.

[RJ]

Yes, at times it takes awhile for them to get going- they're quite a close-knit group & seem to fawn over each other as much as they talk games! But of all the (few) p/casts I listen to, they have the most content & are easiest to listen to, they dont swear even half as much as DGR. Dont forget to try out their archived shows!

Edited September 20, 2008 by RJ

[S1500]

Okay I'm listening to another episode of RetroForceGO here. One guy I can barely hear, being way too quiet. The other male host I think is trying to puncture my eardrums. It wasn't until 45 minutes into the podcast they started to talk about the main topic listed(2600 games).

 

And so I present a handy list of podcasting tips:

 

1. Cap the podcasts to an hour. 1 hour. After one hour, just like corporate meetings, ADD kicks in and the audience is lost. If you spill over, put it into the next episode.

 

2. Keep it to a minimum of one new episode a week. Don't space it out too infrequently(ie every other month), or too often(every other day). Look for a nice medium.

 

3. This one is extremely important: All podcasters are to turn off their cell phones. This turns off the annoying bluetooth beep that microphones are tuned into hearing, it prevents your fellow podcasters from taking a call & walking off set. That just creates akward silence.

 

4. Important: level your audio! You don't want your listeners having to turn up the volume to hear a quiet person, then having their eardrums blown out from the "noisy guy" who likes to surprise you with yelling & excitement over some XBLA download.

 

5. Don't feel obligated to have "The British guy" on your show. For a podcast to be successful, you don't need some guy with a British accent chiming in on a choppy Skype connection.

 

6. The Itunes store is filled to capacity for "gamer" podcasts. Mind you, there are more videogame websites than there are videogames. We don't need yet another 20-something talking about XBox 360 achievements...for 2 hours.

 

7. Remember that one thing you did with that one guy at that one place? Don't make the first 45 minutes of the podcast self-referencing discourse that only you would understand. We don' t know what you did last weekend, and we don't need to hear about it for 45 minutes.

[godslabrat]

I'm very fond of sarcasticgamer.com . Decent coverage, great hosts, and all around enjoyable.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

The Retrocity podcast in the Retro section of IGN is pretty good, and usually less than twenty minutes. My only complaint about it, and it's the same for RetroforceGo or Retronauts or any of those others is it really depends on the topics they cover. If it's a topic I am interested in, the thorough detail (read looooooooong discussion) of the podcast is awesome. If it's a subject I don't care about, it just seems annoyingly long.

I do enjoy retrogaming radio because although Shane is long winded, he is on my wavelength so his diatribes are enjoyable for me. Admittedly though if I don't have much interest in the subject matter, I am tempted to fast forward sometimes.

 

My one request for any of these podcasts though is to be a little more selective on the interviews. If it's someone cool or influential then that's awesome, let's hear the interview. If it's someone inarticulate then please please edit the darn thing down. There's nothing more boring than listening to the droning voice of that guy who designed the Power On button of the Vectrex for an hour and a half (I'm being facetious, nothing actually against the Vectrex folks, just being sarcastic here). The cut and paste tools are there for a reason people. Use them.

[RJ]

The latest Retronauts p/cast says theyre going weekly, among other changes.

 

The quiet guy on RetroForce is Topher, he's usu. very laid back, not easily excited- almost the polar opposite of the loud host Chad who loves everything and finds it all "amazing".

[RJ]

So S1500, found any more notable podcasts? Retronauts is weekly now, so theyre a bit more focused now, but they still talk over each other.

[S1500]

So S1500, found any more notable podcasts? Retronauts is weekly now, so theyre a bit more focused now, but they still talk over each other.

 

I tried out "retrocore", but it is THE most unprofessional podcast ever, I'm sorry to say. The main host sounded tired & took the last episode in a half-assed manner. His cohosts always sound like they are talking through a Pringles can. Apparently Skyping co-hosts always sound shitty, no matter if you have Mutt Lange doing the audio. Of course, there's volume descrepancies, with the Windows sounds(& skype) coming in the loudest, but you can barely hear the human hosts.

 

All the other podcasts I tried that were new to me were from dead sites, thus expired before I could try 'em. I'm glad to see RetroGaming radio is now podcastable. Didn't see it initially since the host refers to it as "mediacasting". He could easily split his 3-hour episodes once every 3 months into 1-hour episodes monthly. Everyone's happy.

[RJ]

the host refers to it as "mediacasting"

 

Heh , I recall on a prev. podcast (er, MEDIAcast) Shane considers the "pod" part of podcast as part of "iPod" & doesnt want it to have anything to do w/ Apple, so he uses an alternate term.

 

I just d/led his 8-31 show & will listen tonight. I hoped he worked out the bugs, there were specific aspects about some of his past shows that made me decide I wasnt going to listen anymore...but since I'm caught up on the others for now...

 

So, here's what I listen to regularly:

 

1up.com Retronauts

RetroForceGO! @ Destructoid.com

robotpanic.com- Drunken Gamer's Radio

KFAN Videogames Weekly

Edited October 14, 2008 by RJ

[RJ]

Well, got thru Shane's latest p/cast last night. OK up until about an hr to go, then he yawns openly (& apologizes), then the cats come in, THEN it sounds like his kid pops in, then his phone rings, basically the whole Bits & Bytes segment (made up of tiny mostly uninteresting news items) goes WAAAY too long. I like longer shows but when it's 2/3 over & the host seems/sounds bored, thats too long.

 

It doesnt help that he says stuff like "ohhhhh...interesting" or "gotta check that one out", etc etc. He just acts bored w/ the whole segment.

 

Plus since the show is a bit untimely (he takes the summer off) most of the info is old or even nonexistent.

[S1500]

Retrocore.com just released a THREE HOUR SPECIAL. Are people taking my advice(which is just my opinion) and doing the exact opposite of it?

 

*insert loud Chad laughter here*

[RJ]

How do I listen to Retrocore w/ out needing/using a password?

 

 

EDIT: Nevermind! retrocore.podomatic.com

Edited October 16, 2008 by RJ

[MegaManFan]

Perhaps you'd call them "videocasts" more than podcasts but I really enjoy IrateGamer, swoozie and ashens in that order.

[RJ]

Wow- retrocore is REALLY AWFUL. Between the sloppy hillbilly drawl of the host & his HAL9000/KITT robotic-sounding sidekick, it's barely listenable.

 

I listened to the 3-hr "extravaganza" a few min. at a time, & by the last remaining hr, I'd had enough. I cant recommend retrocore to anyone. It's one of (if not THE) worst podcast on ANY topic I've ever heard.

[S1500]

Wow- retrocore is REALLY AWFUL. Between the sloppy hillbilly drawl of the host & his HAL9000/KITT robotic-sounding sidekick, it's barely listenable.

 

I listened to the 3-hr "extravaganza" a few min. at a time, & by the last remaining hr, I'd had enough. I cant recommend retrocore to anyone. It's one of (if not THE) worst podcast on ANY topic I've ever heard.

 

 

Yep, I couldn't get past 2/3rds of it. I am in no position to make fun of anybody's voice or regional dialect. I've been known to mumble, and I have a distinctive Northern accent(as indicated by 2 women from VA I ran into in England). But the delivery is really bad. He's like the anti-Chad(WHAAAAA HA HA HA HA). Hard to keep up on what the heck they are talking about, all the while pondering how the heck is a 3 hour podcast "special". I doubt the hosting provider's wild about it.

 

Is there some sort of one-upsmanship in the podcasting community to go for the world's longest podcast?

 

 

Doctor Ashens is great. He's the Jeremy Clarkson of really bad knockoff videogaming hardware. Wonder if he has an RSS feed.

 

C'mon people QUALITY RETRO PODCASTS!!

[RJ]

This week's RetroforceGO! was 2 hrs on Secret of Mana, in honor of its Wii VC release. They love it but I hate RPGs, never played Secret of Mana, & dont plan to. It's the 1st time I got bored listening & deleted it halfway through.

 

 

PROFANITY UPDATE: over on RobotPanic/Drunkengamers radio, a listener asked them to curb the swearing, so they initiated a "swear jar" type thing where they have to drink a shot when they swear. They were still pretty drunk by the end

Edited October 21, 2008 by RJ

[S1500]

This week's RetroforceGO! was 2 hrs on Secret of Mana, in honor of its Wii VC release. They love it but I hate RPGs, never played Secret of Mana, & dont plan to. It's the 1st time I got bored listening & deleted it halfway through.

 

 

PROFANITY UPDATE: over on RobotPanic/Drunkengamers radio, a listener asked them to curb the swearing, so they initiated a "swear jar" type thing where they have to drink a shot when they swear. They were still pretty drunk by the end

 

I couldn't get all the way through RetroForceGO's episode either. I never played it so I didn't have a frame of reference. Besides, I think listening to Chad laugh for 2 hours is considered torture by the Geneva Convention.

 

Uh oh, another Retrocore update. This is gonna be good. Let's see how long I can go through this one.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Wow- retrocore is REALLY AWFUL. Between the sloppy hillbilly drawl of the host & his HAL9000/KITT robotic-sounding sidekick, it's barely listenable.

 

I listened to the 3-hr "extravaganza" a few min. at a time, & by the last remaining hr, I'd had enough. I cant recommend retrocore to anyone. It's one of (if not THE) worst podcast on ANY topic I've ever heard.

 

OMG! OK so it's not just me, it really IS that bad.............

[S1500]

Okay, there's a video podcast named "retrocore", not to be mistaken for Colin's crappy podcast. Haven' tried it yet.

 

"8 bit and beyond" isn't bad. Weird drop-offs though on the host.

[RJ]

JFTR KFANs Video Games Weekly moves to Thurs nights 9-10pm. This is to accomodate upcoming T-Wolves broadcasts. I'm getting kindof sick of Andy McNamara (GI Editor in Chief) on there. He says "Do you know what I mean/what I'm talking about?" like 10 times during the show.

 

 

BTW- on the destructoid site, there's also a Podtoid podcast w/ other hosts (one guy did the now-defunct RevRant on Retroforce GO!) The name "Podtoid" may imply a shorter podcast but it usu. goes an hr+. It's not alwayts necessarily about retrogaming.

Edited October 27, 2008 by RJ

[RJ]

Retroforce Go! was all reader questions & they went off on some tangents. Someone asked Topher (the big "shmup" fan) his LEAST favorite, & he said Xevious, to which Chad agreed. I almost deleted it then & there. Xevious is one of my all time Top 5 games.

[HARMIK]

Try Twitch Asylum video game radio 10 out of 10 AWESOME 18 episodes, and Weekend gamer 9 episodes also very good.

Edited October 28, 2008 by HARMIK