Swapping Joysticks

It’s been a little while since our last regular episode, but we’re back and there’s plenty to catch up on. We’ve both been fully immersed in Death Stranding 2, and we’re loving every minute of it. Ed has also wrapped up the Lies of P DLC, Overture, and has been enjoying Fast Fusion on the Switch 2. Meanwhile, Ben’s found his next cosy obsession in Fantasy Life i, and he’s also really into The Alte...

We've had the Switch 2 in our hands for a week, so what do we think? Is the hardware up to scratch? Is Mario Kart World's open world a waste of time? Why would anyone play the Welcome Tour? Tune in and find out! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:15 - Initial console impressions & Welcome Tour 00:37:54 - Mario Kart World 00:53:17 - Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 01:02:43 - What you think   ▼ Swapping Joyst...

We're back to regular episodes, and this week we're chatting about just how impressive Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is. Ben's only just reached Act 2, so no spoilers here - just a relaxed look at what makes the game stand out so far. We also talk about South of Midnight, the chaos of Grandma, No!, and the stylish Neon-Noir vibes of The Precinct. Plus, a quick round-up of what you've been playing an...

We're back and we’ve got something special. Ed just returned from Japan, where he spent 30 hours playing Death Stranding 2. We've got exclusive details and fresh impressions you won’t hear anywhere else. He also got time with the Switch 2, but let’s be honest - you’re here for Kojima. 00:00:00 - Intro & catch up 00:10:44 - Death Stranding 2 hands-on impressions 00:44:36 - Switch 2 hands-on imp...

Ed is back from San Francisco with plenty to share about his time at GDC! From the games he played to the developers he interviewed, there's a lot to cover. Plus, he'll be sharing his thoughts on the city itself - the bars, the clubs, and of course, all the gaming. Tune in for the full rundown!  Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing!   ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes availabl...

We’re back with a special episode featuring Elden Ring expert (and gaming aficionado) Doms Roundtable! Both Ed and Dom attended an exclusive Nightreign preview event recently, and they’re here to share everything they learned. Plus, we dive into the art of creating in-depth video guides for challenging games, chat about Final Fantasy 7, and discuss the most exciting upcoming releases of the year!...

We're recording this live following the Xbox Developer Direct 2025 and we go through all the games mentioned there. Also, Ed's been playing Returnal, Metroid Other M, Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, and Ben discusses Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:44 - Ninja Gaiden 4 00:13:36 - South of Midnight 00:19:02 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 00...

It's time for an emergency podcast that's luckily at the same time we do our normal podcast and of course there is only one thing to talk about - the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2! We delve into that trailer, what we'd like to see, what we expect, and a whole lot more. Plus, we talk about what you thought of the trailer! No chapters, it's Switch 2 from start to finish   ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ●...

It's the big one - our Game of the Year 2024 podcast! Find out what we thought of all the games we played this year, a final top 10 ranking, and also your top 10 games voted by YOU!   ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus....

In this very special episode we're joined by PlayStation Access's Rosie Caddick, The Gamer's Meg Pelliccio and Eurogamer's Victoria Kennedy to chat about their favourite 3 games of 2024. If you don't have a list of games you must play/finish by the end of this episode I'll be stunned. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:30 - Meg Pelluccio's top games of 2024 00:41:23 - Rosie Caddick's top games of 2024 01:22:4...

We're joined by gaming industry journalist Issy Van Der Velde for the first in our special episodes over the next couple of weeks. We chat about what we've been playing, including Dragon Age The Veilguard, F1 Manager 24, and a whole movie section. We also chat with Issy about his top games of 2024 and what he'll be playing over the festive break. Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00...

Ed can finally talk about Fantasian Neo Dimension, the game he reviewed, and Ben's actually finished Dragon's Dogma 2. We also chat about Infinity Nikki and gacha games, and we finish with a PS1 quiz for its 30th anniversary. Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! Ben's CALM fundraiser: https://tiltify.com/@biggusbennus/biggus-bennus-jingle-jam-2024   00:00:00 - Intro 00:23:43 - Fantasian N...

Ed's been playing a game for a review so can't talk about that, but Ben's been getting lost in No Man's Sky (literally) and Dragon's Dogma 2 on the PS5 Pro. There's also a return to Musical Corner. Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:14:39 - PS5 Pro update 00:17:15 - No Man's Sky 00:30:33 - Dragon's Dogma II 00:46:53 - What You've Been Playing 00:54:55 - The News Quiz...

We've got a PS5 Pro and played a bunch of PS4, PS5 & PS5 Pro enhanced games to test out its capabilities. Ed's also finally got time to chat about Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Ben does a nice DanTDM name drop. And, as always - The News Quiz! Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:20 - PS5 Pro 00:29:27 - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 00:42:47 - What you've b...

We're sadly back from Japan and in the spirit of an aunt who's just walked the Inca Trail, we've got a lot of stuff to show and tell. We chat about our time at the Godzilla hotel, Super Nintendo World at Universal, a traditional ryokan, Ben's embarrassing toilet moment, and a whoooole lot more. Let us know in the comments if you've been, or if you have any questions! ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All p...

Recorded just after Ben completed the first two episodes of Life is Strange: Double Exposure and minutes after the Xbox Partner Preview, this podcast is certified fresh! ...if people still use that phrase. Also, it's the return of musical corner, as Ben and Ed went to see MJ the musical last night. Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:45 - MJ the Musical 00:25:51 -...

Ed's 5* review of Metaphor: ReFantazio is out on Eurogamer, but what does he REALLY think about it? We have an in depth discussion as I've also played it for more than a dozen hours. We also chat about Lord of the Rings Online and have a brand new feature, THE NEWS QUIZ! Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:07:48 - Peter Kay Live at The O2 00:21:03 - Metaphor: ReFantaz...

Ed's been playing a game for review this week so can't talk about it just yet! However, both Ben & Ed have been hooked to their phones playing Balatro at every opportunity and Ben's also hooked on TCG Card Shop Simulator. They also played the incredible Synapse. Plus, we talk bout what you’ve been playing, which seems to be a lot of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:15:26 - Balatro o...

Recorded the day after the PlayStation State of Play, we chat about everything revealed there. We've also finished The Plucky Squire and Ben's finally got bored of Elder Scrolls Castles. Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:58 - PlayStation State of Play 00:46:29 - Ghost of Yōtei 00:53:53 - The Plucky Squire 01:01:55 - Elder Scrolls Castles & Marvel Snap 01:17:0...

Another week off between episodes (we won't make a habit of this) and we're back with the long-promised FFXIV Dawntrail review. We also have a long discussion about the incredible Astro Bot and the PS5 Pro. Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro &  @FinalFantasyUnion  Pub Quiz 00:14:14 - FFXIV Dawntrail 00:50:03 - ASTRO BOT 01:03:58 - PS5 Pro 01:32:33 - What you've been...

After a week off and a Gamescom special, we've got plenty of games to talk about, and end up focusing on two. Ben played Concord before it was yeeted for good and has some very strong opinions on why it failed, plus Ed's been hooked on Star Wars Outlaws, despite not loving it. We also chat a little about Deadlock, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Beta, Monument Valley+, and Black Myth Wukong Plus, we talk...

We're finally back from Gamescom and we've got a TON of games to discuss. Check out the timestamps below if there are particular games you're interested in and look out for the individual YouTube videos for each of the games we played a lot of! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:31:12 - Metaphor: ReFantazio 00:45:14 - Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged 01:01:10 - Life is Strange: Double Exposure 01:...

We're back from Austria and Ed's even had a sneaky trip to NYC in the past week too, cranking up a bigger carbon footprint than Taylor Swift herself. Ed's been playing some retro Final Fantasy Tactics on Ben's Vita, and Ben's finally got round to playing Link's Awakening. Ed also chats about his exclusive preview opportunities with Two Point Museum and Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis. There won't...

Recorded hours before we head to Vienna for our cancelled Taylor Swift concert, we chat about Thank Goodness You're Here, comedy games in general, Ben's finished Elden Ring, and there's a new Zelda trailer!  Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro & Austria/Taylor Swift 00:13:52 - Thank Goodness You're Here & comedy games 00:37:25 - Ben finished Elden Ring! 00:49:15...

We've finally allowed ourselves to talk about FFXIV Dawntrail, now that Ben is halfway through and Ed's a good chunk into it. Join us as we also discuss Ed finishing Dungeons of Hinterberg and Dark Souls Remastered DLC, as well as the awful layoffs affecting Bungie, and what they replaced Mario & Sonic at the Olympics with! Plus, we talk about what you’ve been playing! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:20:3...