Ah, podcasts. I love 'em. Showing up standard radio for the antiquated commercial-driven pap that it is, podcasting has put the radio-waves back into the hands of the people. It's talk radio's equivalent of the early 90's pirate radio explosion, but with a potential audience greatly expanded thanks to the immense size of the fabled interwebs.
For those new to the whole experience, podcasts are exactly that really; home-made radio shows. Everyone from hobbyists to professionals around the world convene in groups, record chats and discussions on any topic under the sun, then post the results for the world to listen to. Some are better than others, sure, but no matter what your love or passion in this world, chances are there's a show out there about it.
More than that though, the reason I love podcasts so dearly, is because they've completely revolutionised the average day at the office for me. Whether drowning in e-mails at work, or stuck on a crowded commuter train on my way home, the fantabulous world of internet radio has breathed life and fun back into my working day. Those laborious 8 hours in the office now breeze by in no time, and more to the point, now allow me to get my constant gaming fix while away from all my gear. 'Cos you know I'd be frothing at the mouth without it.
I've listened to a ton of these shows since their underground inception many years back, covering everything from movies, to cooking to - of course - video games, but can't help but notice that finally the rest of the world is at last starting to sit up and take notice too these days. With that in mind, I wanted to highlight the 10 or so shows I've been spending most of my time with over the past year, and thus help spread the love that little bit more. Some have links decorating the lower right hand side of the site already, while others I've yet to mention for some insane reason, but all deserve an end of year toast either way.
So whether you're similarly blessed with the ability to carry an iPod around with you during your work day, or you're just sitting at home in need of some background noise to chuck on through your PC, I eagerly advise you guys check these bad boys out. Especially the top three.
Oh and before you ask, I'm not sure when our own
TPS Report Podcast will return just yet. Soz.
10. Official Xbox Magazine Podcast
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As an audio accompaniment to the Official US Xbox Magazine, the OXM podcast won't win any awards for its hosts or banter - which truth be told, kinda grate if you ask me. The reason I still "tune in" every week though are for their exceptionally awesome interviews.
Perhaps it's the "official" moniker adorning their title, but the OXM boys have managed to snag some of the top developers in the business for their show you see, which has resulted in some really rather riveting in-depth chats peppered throughout the past year. In fact, I often skip the deathly dull intros and post-interview bollocks, and head straight to the special guests each week for that very reason.
Of particular interest were their multiple chats with Gears of War Lead Designer Cliffy B, who while always entertaining and refreshing to hear, was particularly fun and expletive with the OXM boys. Meanwhile their recent Mass Effect show also shone some intriguing light on an otherwise somewhat enigmatic title that I know many of ya can't bleedin' wait for too.
Hardly the best on this list then, but a great source of insider developer infoz never the less.
9. The Ricky Gervais Show
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Non gaming related, but defo something everyone can enjoy regardless. Hell, you don't even need to be a particularly big fan of The Office to appreciate Ricky's humongously popular podcast series. The most popular podcast ever, actually, dominating iTunes' top 10 chart year-round I do believe, and with good reason.
So what's the deal? Quite simply, Ricky sits down with fellow Extras and The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant - aka That Lanky Twat - to discuss...anything, really. Could be news, could be an anecdote, could be a film they just saw. What truly brings it all to life though is the appearance of Karl Pilkington - moronic show producer and resident punching bag for Ricky and Steve.
Since the show kick-started a whopping great six years ago on traditional radio before transitioning to podcast-ville, Karl's turned into a national treasure of sorts, due to his endless rants about old people eating Twixes, and never ending stories of talking monkeys. Those who haven't experienced his spasticated wisdom first hand, have yet to truly live.
Thanks solely to Karl, The Ricky Gervais Show turned into one of the flat-out funniest podcasts to be heard this year, and with the wrapping up of its latest run this past week to much hilarity, it doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon either. Some episodes cost money, others don't, but the whole bunch are worth your time and cash, and can be found over on the free-to-download
iTunes music store along with pretty much everything else mentioned on this list.
You won't regret it.
8. RadiOPM
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Far superior to the OXM podcast mentioned above, the audio supplement to the Official US Playstation Magazine unfortunately stopped posting shows this past month or so because, well, the magazine was shut down! Most bizarre, given its Sony affiliation, and the fact they just launched a new console.
A shame too, 'cos the OPM boys and girl were always a delight to listen to as well. Episodes tended to have little direction or aim, merely tossing 3 or 4 random editors from the magazine into a room before letting 'em ramble on for 45 minutes a week, but fun and/or interesting discussions regularly bloomed in their wake, ranging from fave albums and CDs, to just why exactly season 2 of LOST sucked so much arse.
More often than not though, talk drifted to video games, naturally, and here the various faces showed true character by never playing the official Sony suck up. Nope, the OPM editors always came across more like regular gamers than corporate puppets, so when daftness was present from Sony - as it so regularly was last year - the crew were more than happy to poke fun. We even heard in-depth chats about rival systems when more interesting happenings existed elsewhere in the gaming world.
RadiOPM might not have been the best show for extensive Playstation news and coverage as a result, but it sure was funny and entertaining, and with the magazine's subsequent closure, has now burned a small hole through my heart. You shall be missed, OPM.
All past episodes can be snagged at the official web site, or once again, via iTunes.
7. The Official LOST Podcast
Official Homepage
While on the subject of LOST sucking balls, I gotta plug ABC's official weekly podcast for their most uneven of shows too. Although short, hovering well below 30 minutes per week for the most part, it sure is packed full o' interesting content to make up for it.
Split into two halves, each episode of The Official LOST Podcast opens with a cast interview, one where Jack, Kate, Sawyer and friends chat out of character on everything from filming the current season, to other interesting, if typically PR tainted nuggets.
Where the show springs to life though, is in its second half, where the reigns are handed over to Executive Producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. These two demented excuses for men provide gut-busting banter, while mocking viewer mail and discussing the latest episode, relentlessly taking the piss out of each other in the process, while regularly dropping nudge-nudge wink-wink hints at future developments.
A nice addendum to the actual show itself every week, the Lost podcast is a worthy subscribe for any fan of that weird and wonderful island. The audio feed appears to be only available through iTunes, but you
can check out an additional, separate video podcast through the official site linked above.
6. Epileptic Gaming
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Podcasting back before the term even
existed, Epileptic Gaming is the original internet radio chat show devoted to our favourite past time. It's also broadcast live every week, unlike the rest on this list which all appear via pre-recorded MP3s.
Unfortunately, despite essentially kick-starting the idea of a video game radio show oh so many years back - with in-depth reviews, top 10 lists and mammoth debates aplenty - EG has taken a good long while to really cotton on to some of the newer technologies that have subsequently sprung up in its wake. As a result, you can't subscribe to the sucker on iTunes, and tracking down MP3s of the live feeds proves a mammoth undertaking comprised of digging through their official forums in search of avid fans uploading 'em to their private web space.
It's all a bit of a shame really, as with proper handling on the release front, EG would
easily be at the top of the gaming podcast chart by this point. The sad fact is a lot of the newer - and to be frank, inferior - gaming shows that have since sprung up over the years have just been a lot more on-the-ball about getting the shows onto people's PCs and iPods with comparitive ease. Keeping up to date with EG's erratic schedule and hard-to-find shows has proved a real nightmare in comparison, and subsequently the show just doesn't get the coverage, hype and all-out listener-ship it deserves.
On the plus side, the boys have started broadcasting in video in recent weeks, and the show in general is a lot easier to keep track of now via the
Global Gaming League, who kindly host said video feeds for free. If that wasn't enough, the boys also just celebrated their 100th show if you can believe that.
Probs aside, show creator DJ Wheat's still got what it takes to put on a hella entertaining slab of gaming content every week, from those effortlessly detailed reviews, to all-too-entertaining arguments with his fellow cohorts on the world of next-gen consoles. He seems truly incapable of dead air.
5. GDCRadio
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Despite only stumbling across GDCRadio this past week, it's already risen up the ranks due to sheer brilliance. It is however, not for everybody.
A gaming show primarily for industry insiders - hence your average GTA or Madden fan need not apply - GDCRadio does a great job at giving the industry a voice. You'll find a fabulous collection of round-table discussions on offer from industry experts, along with in-depth interviews and talks from past Game Developer Conferences hosted in the US.
One such example would be an intriguing debate on gaming journalism recently posted, in which various magazine writers and web site editors chimed in on the state of the industry, warts and all. My fave of the bunch though was an incredibly in-depth hour-long lecture from Casey Hudson of BioWare, who chronicled the entire process of creating KOTOR from beginning to end in minute detail. Cripes.
Not the most interesting and enlightening sorta talk for your average gamer then, like I say, but certainly something very different than the rest, and rather insightful to those of us curious how this industry works behind the scenes. If you care not for such things, avoid, but the real geeks out there will lap this shit up I'm sure.
4. Gaming Steve
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There was a time when Gaming Steve was at the very top of the podcast food chain. Sadly family commitments and hectic work schedules have reduced his show to barely one every couple of months at this point - if we're lucky - and his world famous podcast has somewhat fallen off the radar as a result.
A pity to be sure, 'cos as a gaming podcast, there are still few better. In terms of raw and intelligent gaming chat, little beats it actually. Steve ploughs a barrage of content into his 1 to 2 hour long shows, from the biggest news items, to in-depth reviews and retrospectives, along with regular competitions and various other refinements.
You won't find a ton of gags and name calling here - Steve is a straight shooter who prides himself on intelligent discussion - and that's exactly what you get on Gaming Steve. It doesn't hurt that my own opinions tend to converge with the guy pretty much 100% of the time I guess, but either way, Gaming Steve's a must-listen for any hardcore gamer.
Hopefully the new year sees a return to more regular shows.
3. Major Nelson
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Major Nelson has really helped spearhead the podcast movement over the past couple of years, while providing Microsoft with a nice, easygoing and approachable front-end too. While the Major - real name Larry Hyrb - works high up on the Xbox Live team, he maintains that his show is 100% unofficial though, and produced entirely on his own time and dime.
Whether you believe that and thus take his long-running podcast as a hobby made out of the pure love one man has for his job, or merely gaze down upon it as a cynical yet ingenious Microsoft PR stunt, the end result is still the same...Major Nelson's podcast is the single best avenue of Xbox content around, and bloody entertaining to boot.
Not only does the good Major run through all the big news each week, he'll even recap the latest Live Marketplace updates, any new games that he's got his hands on, and all the latest industry events on top. More importantly, he regularly includes a ton of super cool interviews every episode, with everyone from fellow Microsoft co-workers, to, for instance, the developers of Dead Rising or Gears of War.
The show subsequently comes across like a relentless info flood, one packed to the gills with non-stop Xbox news, and the simplest way to stay up to date on all that is Live. Although naturally, Sony bashing comes as standard with all that.
Major comes across like a genuinely decent guy regardless - if a little rehearsed at times - and starting up his show was a smart move that has reaped major rewards for Microsoft in the eyes of the fans. All 360 owners need this show on their hard drive with that in mind, it's pretty much invaluable.
2. Gamespot Presents "The Hotspot"
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Undoubtedly the funniest podcast around, The Hotspot marks Gamespot's weekly news show in which they round-up the latest industry developments, while throwing in their own opinions and takes in the process. What makes it work however is how effortlessly hilarious and sarcastic every single Gamespot staffer is. Ironic, considering how deathly dull and monosyllabic their written reviews can be.
Here though, the boys shine, cracking wise and mocking the big names with flawless aplomb as if sprouting hand-written dialogue from Hollywood's finest. Particularly riotous is Senior Editor Jeff Gerstmann, a walking punch-line spewer who's every muttered word makes Dig spray milk out of his nose. Then there's Editor in Chief Greg Kasavin, the closest thing to a human gaming encyclopaedia, and the master of dry wit. Tying it all together is show presenter Rich Gallup though, who comes across as a chilled, interesting and yet again fucking hilarious mastermind of the internet airwaves.
The Hotspot's weekly 45 minutes seem to fly by in as many seconds as a result, not only recapping the latest updates with superb accuracy, but almost without realising it, also providing the funniest weekly show to be found anywhere in podcast land, gaming-related or not. If you want more, be sure to also check out their just as sweet
On the Spot video show, in which those very same cats converge to demo upcoming games and give stuff away live on camera each week. It's the tits.
As is this podcast.
1. 1up Yours
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 | | From left to right; Luke, Garnett, John and Shane - hosts to 2006's coolest podcast |
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Best of the bunch by far though, has to be 1up.com's weekly chat-fest known as 1up Yours. In spite of the wretched abortion it came across as in its early days, once Managing Editor and resident drunken old man Garnett Lee took over running the show, 1up Yours became insta-cool, and has only gotten better and better over time too.
Joined by head honcho - not to mention fellow Brit - John Davison, self-professed Sony fanboy Shane Bettenhausen, and hater of all things...ever, Luke Smith, the gang provide just the right amount of industry knowledge and hilarious banter that simply can't be matched. The result is a perfect example of why podcasts are so utterly bad ass, with a fabulous mixture of insider info and personal opinions in which no single member's ever afraid to speak their mind.
While the rest of the 1up family provide their own podcasts through the same site, all of which prove entertaining in their own way, the majority can occasionally feel like glorified ads for their respective magazines at times (even the aforementioned RadiOPM). 1up Yours sheds all that though. It feels forged straight out of love and affection for its subject matter, not cynical money-grabbing, and more like a great unwind for the site's staff after a hectic week on a Friday afternoon.
Not only do our presenters come across as so genuinely passionate about the words sprouting from their mouths then - in particular Luke's endless rants on the likes of micro-transactions and Sony's relentless missteps - but they're also regularly plastered when they record it too, making for endless comic hijinks to boot, in particular Garnett's relentless inability to...well, speak properly.
1up Yours has become a weekly pleasure thanks to all this, something I look forward to every week just as I do a new episode of something like 24. It's the one podcast on the list that I save for when I get home in the evening, and one I prefer to pop open a beer with and lounge out on the sofa for as the work week draws to a close. It feels less like listening to a radio show in that regard, and more like a nice night in with friends. That's the brilliance of the 1up gang, and it has to be applauded.
More must-listen material then, that's incidentally truly eclipsed the still ace, yet comparatively mediocre
1up Video Show. Subscribe now.
(Pictures courtesy of
1up)
