Berries & Blades

To make a podcast about video games, you have to play them. Lol. Join us for a conversation about the future of Berries & Blades and the new types of content we want to explore. In this episode, we announce a change to our release schedule. For 18 months, we've published a new episode every two weeks without skipping a beat. However, in that process, we also missed out on a lot of time for gaming,...

311's Tiny Desk Concert, fake Deadpool & Wolverine trailers, and Steve Goggins? Join us for another mashup of outtakes, hijinks, and other shenanigans. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes for a collection of audio clips that didn't make it into episodes 31–39. Mostly, these clips are a little too off-topic to include in regular conversations, so we're featuring them in this episode to c...

Ninjas don't hug. BO55man69 is one of the worst passwords ever, and how do people sit down in the OASIS? Join us for a conversation about Ready Player One, a Sci-Fi Action film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Ernest Cline's best-selling novel. In this episode, we explore some of the pop culture references and nostalgia of Ready Player One. They crammed a lot of fan favorites into this fi...

Outlaws, Dragons, and finally—there's an Assassin's Creed game that looks exciting to us. A lot is happening in 2024, so join us to recap some of the games we've played this year and discuss other games we're still looking forward to.  In this episode, we follow up on everything we mentioned in episode 26—Games We Want to Play in 2024. A lot happened in the first half of the year, and we were exci...

What would happen if Bethesda made a Soulslike? Taylor thinks this game would be the outcome. Join us for a conversation about a dark fantasy action RPG called Lords of the Fallen. Welcome back to Hip Fire, a mini-series where we share our first impressions about a game after 5–10 hours of gameplay. In this episode, we cross into the realm of the dead (Umbral) to talk about a third-person action R...

The Land of Shadow is closing in, but why did Miquella go there? Is he still trying to give his half-brother, Godwyn the Golden—a "true" death? Join us for a conversation about the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Story Trailer. In this episode, we do our best to decipher the latest story trailer for the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT. Like everyone else, w...

Living up to your trashiest self, mantis shrimp, and a punk ass tax-collecting load shark. Join us for a conversation about a crabby "shucking" soulslike called Another Crab's Treasure. In this episode, we explore the "cod damn" Sands Between with our trusty fork and face off against WAY too many crabs—including some not-so-clawsome snipers who just DON"T miss. As Kril, the hermit crab, you wear t...

Did you know Sega made a Die Hard Beat 'Em Up-style arcade? Anyway, join us for a conversation about three gameplay features and their origins. In this episode, Willie takes us down memory lane, and we explore the first appearances of three gameplay features—the ability to slow down time (aka bullet time), free-flow combat, and quick-time events. Of course, we couldn't have this conversation witho...

Enjoy the taste of Freedom with a fresh cup of Liber-TEA. ENLIST TODAY! Join us for a conversation about HELLDIVERS 2, a gritty, propaganda-filled third-person squad-based shooter.  In this episode, we join the front line as "peacekeepers" to defend our Super Earth-born rights in a galactic war. In HELLDIVERS 2, you step into the boots of the Helldivers, an elite class of soldiers whose mission is...

Let's dodge some zombie bites, go sightseeing in HELL-A, and slay our way through hordes of mutated wretches. Join us for a conversation about a first-person, over-the-top zombie slayer called Dead Island 2. Welcome back to Hip Fire, a mini-series where we share our first impressions about a game after 5–10 hours of gameplay. In this episode, we discuss our co-op experience with Dead Island 2. Thi...

Are you up for another videogame-guessing showdown? This time we visit games from 2017, 2020, 2014, 2009, 1985, and the 1930s. Join us for another round of NOT the Leonard Maltin Game. In this episode, we revisit a guessing game called NOT the Leonard Maltin Game—inspired by The Leonard Maltin Game from Doug Benson's podcast called Doug Loves Movies. In short, each of us chooses a game and reads a...

Sippin' whiskey in the morning, searching for Taco Cabanas, and slangin' since 81' with one of Houston's finest, Mattress Mack. Join us for another mashup of outtakes, hijinks, and other shenanigans. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes for a collection of audio clips that didn't make it into episodes 21–29. Mostly, these clips are a little too off-topic to include in regular conversatio...

Our 8-bit Lord, who art in the digital realm, hallowed be thy game—Join us for a conversation about the gaming sins we've committed since our last Controller Confession. In this episode, we head into the confessional booth and ask the 8-bit Lord to forgive us for our rage quits and deliver us from glitches. One of us finally admits our love for Techtonica, and another confesses to spreading oursel...

A box-office BOMB, confusion between Kevin James and Kevin Smith, and Gerard Butler does what he does best. Join us for a conversation about Gamer (2009), a movie that gets almost everything wrong. In this episode, we share our thoughts about Gamer, a science fiction action movie from 2009 starring Gerard Butler and Michael C. Hall, and includes a mean-ass-looking Terry Crews. This movie is hard t...

Explode into gold coins, a Battle Pass that's 95% worthless, and a gladiator-type arena filled with casino sound effects. Join us for a conversation about a free-to-play first-person shooter called THE FINALS. Welcome back to Hip Fire, a mini-series where we share our first impressions about a game after 5–10 hours of gameplay. In this episode, we talk about our co-op experience with THE FINALS. T...

Pure anticipation and speculation, and Space Jizz. Join us for a conversation about the 2024 games we're looking forward to the most. In this episode, we share our thoughts about the games we think will hit the hardest in 2024.  Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown  is on Joseph and Willie's shortlist. The air-dashing looks tasty, and we're dying for more time-shift shenanigans—while we wait for the r...

Wonder Flowers, the Koopa Clown Car, and the "Elephant Mario" in the room. Join us for a conversation about the first traditional side-scrolling Mario game in over a decade, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. In this episode, we share our thoughts about Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Willie drove 19 hours cross-country to visit Joseph, naturally leading to a couch co-op playthrough of the game. This game is pre...

Starfield sucks, Lies of P deserves more credit, and "Flute Guy Goes Hard Again." Join us for a conversation about our favorite games of 2023 and our reactions to The Game Awards. In this episode, we share our Game of the Year picks and react to the announcements and winners at The Game Awards. To no surprise, Baldur's Gate 3 received the attention it deserved. Hello Games introduced  Light No Fir...

Madam Bo gets knocked the F*CK out, Johnny Cage squares off against Kenshi, and for the first time, our friend Jack is a Kameo on the podcast. Join us for a conversation about our favorite fighting game of the year, Mortal Kombat 1. In this episode, we dive into the story of Mortal Kombat 1. Somehow—and even after 30 years—Netherrealm Studios is still weaving together a compelling narrative. The M...

This discussion is Part 2 of our conversation about Lies of P . This game is so damn good we had to record another episode about it. Also, Taylor f*cked up—he gave his ***** to G-Pedo like the real good boy he is. Join us for the extended conversation about  Lies of P , the soulslike game inspired by the  Adventures of Pinocchio . In this episode, we continue our conversation about  Lies of P . We...

Creepy Geppetto, dying over and over and over, and a game that puts the fun back into lying. Join us for a conversation about  Lies of P,  a soulslike game inspired by  The Adventures of Pinocchio .  In this episode, we share our thoughts and experiences about Lies of P. We 100% confirmed our speculation that this game could be the Game of the Year. Seriously, it's that good, and if you enjoy play...

Somehow, we've crammed clips about Baltimora, Eve 6, SPM, Creed, Nickleback, Jason Aldean, and Metallica—all in one episode. Join us for another mashup of outtakes, hijinks, and other shenanigans.   In this episode, we take you back behind the scenes for a collection of audio clips that didn't make it into episodes 11–19. Mostly, these clips are a little too off-topic to include in regular convers...

[Rap] Yo, you're in for a treat, so hang onto your seat. Get ready for adventure and remarkable feats. You'll meet Koopas, the Troopas, the Princess, and the others. Hangin' with the plumbers, you'll be hooked on the brothers. Join us for a conversation about the highest-grossing film based on a video game, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In this episode, we trade thoughts and comments about the 2023...

Have you ever heard of a game called Pac-Land? It's very different from the "action maze chase game" we all know and love. These series—the ones that bounce between different genres—are the focus of this episode. Join us for a conversation about game franchises that have explored different genres. In this episode, we tackle a list of games Willie created that have shape-shifted between different g...

Stock your inventory with alien plant matter, build conveyor belts, automate stuff, and explore underground caves. We somehow stumbled across a game with so much to do—BUT—so little to do. Join us for a conversation about a first-person factory automation game called Techtonica . Welcome back to Hip Fire, a mini-series where we share our first impressions about a game after 5–10 hours of gameplay....