Playing Catch-up

In which we unleash an episode recorded well before we all got told to stay in and play games for the foreseeable future. That was the gist of the latest guidelines, right? Two flawed games give plenty to talk about but also plenty to enjoy. It’s almost as if we’re gluttons for punishment. Tom especially so, which Paul delights in pointing out. Get in touch with the show via Twitter ( @catchuppod...

In which Paul gets to grips with a deeply flawed game from two decades ago which Tom remembered being much better than it was. Meanwhile, Tom gets to sample one of the most lauded games in recent memory. It almost doesn’t seem fair. Be sure to stick around to the end for perhaps the most eloquent ever description of the flaws in a boss battle. Get in touch with the show via Twitter ( @catchuppod )...

In which Paul is 100% sure he’s played the first game on Tom’s list, until Tom starts talking about it. There’s also Wii Ware weirdness, trilogy-ending twists, Ridge Racer reprises and H2O-based happenings. Oh, and we open on the Playdate, which was fresh news when we recorded this 12 years ago. Games discussed: Stories Untold lilt line Zero Time Dilemma Ridge Racer 7 Ridge Racers Ridge Racer 3D T...

In which Paul gets a little less sneaky than he was expecting and Tom tackles his fear of disappointment head-on. Two huge games. Two wary podcast hosts. You won’t believe what happened next. Games discussed: Metal Gear Solid The Last Guardian Get in touch with the show via Twitter ( @catchuppod ) or send us an email: hello@playingcatchup.co.uk Also: watch Tom play mediocre games badly on Twitch ....

In which Paul gets physical with some PlayStation Move ‘classics’ from the PS3 days and Tom gets social with a new type of co-operative puzzle game. Games discussed: PlayStation Move Heroes The Shoot Sports Champions Medieval Moves Time Crisis: Razing Storm Tick Tock: A Tale for Two Tetris 99 Cleopatra Fortune Papers, Please Get in touch with the show via Twitter ( @catchuppod ) or send us an emai...

In which Paul gets rightly annoyed at the lack of Yorkshire accents in PS3 launch games and Tom plays a couple of multiplayer-focused online shooters. On his own. Games discussed: Chibi Robo! Zip Lash The Division Destiny 2 Resistance: Fall of Man Burly Men at Sea Get in touch with the show via Twitter ( @catchuppod ) or send us an email: hello@playingcatchup.co.uk Also: watch Tom play mediocre ga...

In which your hosts suffer two of the worst fates known to man: being trapped on a spaceship with homicidal aliens, and being trapped playing a game with atrocious voice acting. Paul takes on Dead Space and finds a game that holds up superbly more than 10 years on, while Tom really quite enjoys Final Fantasy Type-0 HD despite some utterly bewildering design decisions. Then they pick a couple of ga...

In which indie developer Graham Goring discusses making the leap from writing for huge licensed games in the LEGO universe for TT Fusion to the relative uncertainty that comes with working on his own dream project: Phantom Island. Please note, because Tom is lazy and good-for-nothing, this is an interview from late 2018 that has only just been edited. And this was the second attempt at recording i...

In which two very similar games are discussed and dissected. After hearing an extensive list of things Tom doesn’t like about DOOM, learn why Paul feels that, for all its exciting gunplay, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as punching a demon in the face. Next up, after a very brief and exceedingly polite disagreement over whether the Yoku’s Island Express soundtrack is catchy or not catchy (#Te...

In which your hosts continue last week’s conversation about the games they’ve played through in recent weeks. You’ll hear how Harmonix fared with their foray into tabletop gaming, why taking ‘What Should I Play Next?’ advice from a stranger on the internet isn’t always advisable, how two old remakes of two even older games manage to retain the magic decades after the fact, why a free game continue...

In which your hosts belatedly kick off 2019 in the only way they know how: discussing old games everybody else played many moons ago. You’ll be served a Double Fine double header before it’s all aboard for a trip more grim than a book of fairy tales. And before you reach your final destination, find out why there ain’t no onion time like the present to check out some mobile game that’s a bit like...

In which the co-founder of indie developer The Voxel Agents talks to Tom about what went into the making of their unique puzzle adventure The Gardens Between. From revealing that the initial idea for what became The Gardens Between stemmed from a Tom Cruise film to tales of discovering the wonders of Twitch streaming with his parents, Simon offers plenty of interesting insights into the process of...

In which your hosts continue to talk over the games they played during the show’s downtime. A highly regarded JRPG gets compared to Neighbours, there’s plenty of back-and-forth about the merits (or otherwise) of visual novels, and we hear why interviewing a wrestler backstage makes for a memorable gaming moment. Whoa, you go big guy! Games discussed: Persona 4 Persona 4: Dancing All Night Persona...

In which your hosts rise, Phoenix-like, to resume the very important business of talking about videogames. It’s been a while, so Tom and Paul talk over some of the more notable games they’ve played through since the last pod was launched. It was a long old chat, so the second half will be released next week. Get in touch with the show via Twitter ( @catchuppod ) or send us an email: hello@playingc...

In which your hosts discuss a couple of games from yesteryear that brought both post-Christmas joy and frustration — featuring only one mention of sailors and, thanks to rare restraint, absolutely no talk of getting sweaty. Intro / outro music by 5of6 Artwork by @BigShimmeryWall http://playingcatchup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PlayingCatchup014.mp3 To subscribe via iTunes click here . Altern...

In which scores are literally settled in the opening moments before discussion turns to games with colons and disappointment rears its ugly head. Could colons and disappointment be linked somehow? Also: enjoy listening to one of us sniff and splutter a lot. You’re welcome. Intro / outro music by 5of6 Artwork by @BigShimmeryWall http://playingcatchup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PlayingCatchup0...

In which your hosts conclude their initial thoughts of Sony’s face-mounted thrill machine with a quick chat about how likely it is to catch on with the ‘mainstream’. http://playingcatchup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/PlayingCatchupShorts006.mp3 Intro / outro music by 5of6 Artwork by @BigShimmeryWall To subscribe via iTunes click here . Alternatively, add the podcast manually to your favourite...

In which your hosts continue their ramble about the revolutionary new games sensation you wear on your head. (Hit us up Sony, you can have that one for a small fee.) http://playingcatchup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/PlayingCatchupShorts005.mp3 Intro / outro music by 5of6 Artwork by @BigShimmeryWall To subscribe via iTunes click here . Alternatively, add the podcast manually to your favourite...

In which two very different games are united by equally memorable soundtracks as Variable State’s debut Virginia and Terry Cavanagh’s VVVVVV come under the spotlight. Witness true podcast drama as gaming credentials are questioned and one team member is called out publicly for failing to adopt the appropriate control scheme for full nostalgia overload. Playing Catch-up was brought to you today by...

In which Tom and Paul, giddy with excitement from the PSVR launch, recount tales of shifting violently from VR indifference to steadfast support following game-changing debut experiences. Having both picked up the PlayStation VR headset on launch, they compare notes on the hardware itself and how it compares to PC-based virtual reality headsets before mulling over a couple of leading lights from t...

In which the co-director of lauded first-person thriller Virginia joins Tom for a chat about forming his studio Variable State, signing with publisher 505 Games and developing a debut game that has raised eyebrows across the board. Read more about Virginia (and sample the excellent soundtrack) at Virginia.game The game and accompanying soundtrack are available to download on Steam and PS4 . The ga...

In which your hosts discuss Resident Evil 7’s ‘teaser demo’ (by way of Project Zero, P.T. and Silent Hill 3) and the prospect of experiencing Capcom’s new direction for the series in the brave new world of VR. Or, you know, trying it for 30 seconds before flinging the sweat-soaked headset to the other side of the room. http://playingcatchup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PlayingCatchupShorts002....

In which your hosts start putting out some bite-size morsels in-between the main episodes to try and maintain some semblance of consistency. Having spoken about his experience playing through Broken Age in last week’s episode, a presumably sleep deprived Paul reports back having consumed 20 episodes of the accompanying documentary series in a week. Meanwhile, Tom takes on giant ants and spiders in...

In which our heroes point and click and jump and kick; pay tribute to Schafer, make Hekseville safer. Dialogue is repeated, some foes are defeated; dodgy outfits acquired, cute robots rewired. No more rhymes now, I mean it. Anybody want a peanut? (With apologies to Fezzik.) Intro / outro music by 5of6 Artwork by @BigShimmeryWall http://playingcatchup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/PlayingCatchup...

In which the ever-revolving door of Playing Catch-up co-hosts thrusts Paul Thomas into the spotlight as he sets his sights high and pursues the impossible dream of a six-episode streak. Join your hosts on a rollercoaster journey as they run the gamut of emotions, experiencing fear and sadness over the insignificance of human existence only to forget all that and embrace the unbridled joy of chasin...