Gamer Era

HEAR YE, HEAR YE! …or whatever it is they say on the telly these days. Hark! Yon SEASON FINALE of Gamer Era beckons thee with greate haste. Who be among those summoned (by a wizard) to solve the time-tested conundrums of Definitely David and live to tell the tale? Why, it be that scurvy dog Sam, and their gleeful deck-swabber Nathan ( @ wokejohnwayne.bsky.social )! But how will they answer ye thes...

I’m havin’ a PAC-ATTACK! In a very special episode, the Gamer Era crew remove their iconic caps in solidarity for the passing of a beloved gaming icon. Joining David and Sam for this fortnight’s services is the indomitable Lewis Clark ( @SonicYoda , SEGADriven.com ), who chips in on thinking about shit we remember and smiling. It’s our most serious and solemn instalment to date, and not a single j...

Trust your instincts… In a world of ray-tracing and ultra high resolutions, it can be easy to forget the plight of the humble flat-shaded poly. Take formation for an extended segment on Argonaut Software, as Sam takes David through a context-rich history of the team behind the original SNES Super FX titles (as well as the early days of a certain vulpine space-farer). Plus - our full thoughts on th...

Love is a many-numbered thing… In a Skip-flavoured special, Sam brings on friend of the show Middlethought ( @middlethought.bsky.social , bowserblr ) to discuss the oft-overlooked Art Style series! On this tour of the gallery, we also cover the splintered history of Love-de-Lic, the twilight years of the GBA, and how it all ties into Nintendo’s early download experiments through the DSi and 3DS er...

This Fortnight, it’s for The Gamers. Reflecting upon the erstwhile E3 conference in its continued absence, Sam and David invite friend of the show CC McLoughlin ( ccmcloughlin.com ) to the stage to discuss where Gamer Christmas came from, went... and could potentially be hiding. Plus - David finally gets to do another much-vaunted quiz segment! It’s a real exciting episode that’s massively ambitio...

Somebody call for an exterminator? Once upon a time, colourful cartoon mascots were the video game industry’s lingua franca, and yet only one has a history as colourful as Ubisoft’s very own pal in purple - Rayman! In advance of the big guy’s 30th anniversary, Sam and David welcome Pitch Please’s very own Alexander Gaither to the fray, cross-examining a seemingly ‘armless individual with quite the...

Feels different this time… Freshly bi-generated and ready for Round 2, those fine folks from Podtor Whocast RETURN to restore the deeply cursed timeline of modern Doctor Who games. After a catch-up with Michel over yet more Fallout London talk (Atomfall who?), it’s right back into action on a conversation that’s as much about Who as it is a lamentation on the state of mobile gaming in general. And...

Thunderbirds are GO! It’s all hands on deck and action stations in a series of tales so tall that not even the Mole could get to the bottom of it. Prepare for launch with Sam and David, as they bash their mighty vinyl craniums together in the name of stringing up just what pulled the venerable Anderson puppets along through trials across screens big and small. Oh, and I suppose we’ll talk about so...

It all comes back to the egg… In honour of Pokémon Day, we’re once again taking an askew look at the biggest franchise in games, this time by showcasing two properties that are often (and perhaps unfairly) compared against it. Sam leaps from your keychain and beeps aggressively to give an essential timeline on Tamagotchi, explaining the lore and dispelling the myths, while Kit ( @kitenby ) wrangle...

We’re over a barrel now… Beat your suspiciously smooth chest and descend from the canopy, because it’s time to talk about one of gaming’s oldest icons! David and Sam zoom in on two time periods that distinctly represent the “mid-point” of DK’s life from today: the Country-seasoned heyday of a life in the Rare barnyard, and Nintendo’s subsequent attempts to re-bottle that lightning in a post-buyout...

I’d say he’s hot on our tail! Yes, that’s right - after months of teasing, it’s finally time to cover the much-tittered-about trilogy of DiC Mario cartoons. To unclog the drains of this particular chapter in licensing history, Sam calls in the expert turtle-trouncing duo of Muz ( @MuzYoshi ) and Dylan ( @DekuDeluxe ). It’s not just the Super Show and co. in the crosshairs either - it’s everything...

Cracking pod, Gromit! At long last – GAMER ERA RETURNS – in fighting form for a new year, a new season and no less of a series of deep pulls. From the earnest efforts of venerable stop-mo studio Aardman to Interplay’s anarchic smackdown through the notorious ClayFighter series, it’s a great smouldering vat of putty potential. So go on! Get your hands riiiight in there. Get ‘em all nasty. Find us a...

A cause for applause! Welcome to the show, dearest guests. Please be seated. To close the year we thought we'd try something a little different - it's an alternative game awards show! We polled some members of the community and collated our own thoughts on the past year ‘n change, and who’da thunk it - we’ve got plenty to share. So join us in this celebration of everything that is, was, and could...

The night gaming came home! In an extra spooky special, Sam, David and guest Shane Cannon hand out tricks and treats alike as they discuss the rich legacy of illustrious horror director John Carpenter. It’s an eclectic tale spun across cult movies, the games inspired by them, and the famously outspoken gaming tastes of the big man himself. And, uh. Hang on. Didn’t David have something this week to...

Set phasers to “gaming”! There’s a great big universe out there, and by gum, someone’s gotta make sense of it. Join us, as we beam up old-school YouTuber and die-hard Odo fanboy Christopher Bingham ( @chriscoolblog ) to explore what works about Star Trek (and what so often doesn’t) across a plethora of interactive tie-ins. A most vital engagement! Find us at: https://gamertime.online/ Topics discu...

The world’s a stage - and life’s a dance! It all gets a bit hairy-scary as Gamer Era kicks off the big red boots for the spookiest month of the year. Returning guest Lucy (@fortunekookiekrisp) joins Sam for an enchanting Bayonetta special, as a recap on the much-loved game series turns to a spirited discussion of the real-life folklore and superstition that may have inspired it. Cat not necessary,...

Gaming. It’s our business. With conquest on the mind, our brave hosts each explore the various triumphs and blunders of two titans venturing into the digital realm. First, David chronicles The Lego Group’s tentative steps into the 2000s - from the experimental Island series, to the justly forgotten cross-media flop of Galidor, through to the eventual breakout success of Bionicle. Then, Sam finally...

Welcome back, Agent. Pay close attention. Time is of the essence… Out from the darkness and into the light shine two masters in their fields. First, incumbent agent Sam details the original Perfect Dark - the much-hyped spiritual successor to GoldenEye that continues to draw interest to this day. Then, interstellar traveller Vernon ( @meektheraccoon [18+] ) flashes back to the TimeSplitters series...

We'd be GREAT at curating - we’d be the game curators… It’s a calamity among worlds as PODTOR WHOCAST and GAMER ERA collide for the very first time! Join Sam, David and Michel as they journey through the unknown - from the neon-soaked days of the 1980s, to the twisted nights of the wilderness years in the 1990s, all the way to the “Nu” dawn from the mid-2000s. There's also discussion on Michel's i...

Tales woven across small screen laughs and big screen thrills! It’s a veritable luckfest as our hosts spread the licensed game lovin’ across Rotherham and Tinseltown. Sam starts us off by pitching his idea for the ChuckleVision game that never was, hitching the wagon on various “Chuckle-likes” to find the perfect title to clone. Then, David takes us through the back half of the 90s movie zeitgeist...

It’s better than bad - it’s good! It’s time to get goopy, gacky, and all kinds of wacky, as Sam invites resident millennial Kit (@kitenby) back on the pod to talk through two of Nickelodeon’s earliest animated efforts and their vibrant history in games. How close did Ren & Stimpy get to capturing the anarchic spirit of the show? How much content was cut from the Rugrats’ premiere 3D outing? An...

Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play! In the spirit of a VERY sporting summer, Gabe beams in from @The_Pauldcast to share memories of digital bats, clubs and racquets. In the first half, Sam provides commentary on the contributions of a certain moustachioed plumber to the arcade sports genre, before David rises from the bench to analyse some truly bizarre football (soccer!) tie-ins and off-shoots....

Dim the lights, set the stage - it’s gaming’s biggest night! After Sam swipes right on Nintendo’s clumsy first year in smartphone gaming, David rolls out the red carpet for Cybermania ‘94 - one of the industry’s earliest attempts at an Oscars-style game awards show. There’s surprise star appearances, incredibly stilted comedy bits, and the secret origins of gaming's strongest warrior, Geoff Keighl...

Now the biting makes sense! Unleashed once more from their cellophane wrapping (and accidentally spilling off a bit under the table), Gamer Era RETURNS with a chock-a-block confectionary themed pod! David brings the crunch with a hard-shelled punch-up on the inexplicable M&Ms game “series”, before Sam chews over the surprisingly solid gaming history of Kyoro-chan - the Japanese marketing jugge...

Have you tried blowing on it? As we wrap up this first run of Gamer Era, Sam and David take turns sharing stories around the pixelated campfire, reflecting on editing woes, the emotional gamble of a nostalgic hit, and various highs and lows of producing the show so far. It’s a much smaller and looser episode than usual, but a necessary one as we regroup and prepare to return with a whole new slate...