GeekNights Tuesdays: Gaming

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the game of Association Football . More commonly known as soccer, it's a game of high drama , clever play , and FIFA corruption that is cemented in societal and cultural history. In the news, a Manhattan skyscraper is collapsing , XBOX is collapsing , YOASOBI x Overwatch slaps, and the new Ghost in the Shell slaps. Related Links Forum Thread Association Football...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Mina the Hollower (2026) . It's fantastic, evoking the feeling of old NES games but with modern design sensibilities. In the news, the Steam Machine is actually here and still a reasonable price (considering the unreasonable pressure the AI bubble is putting on computer components), Civ VII added hotseat multiplayer, and Deltarune chapter 5 drops TOMORROW . Related...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider what happens when one chases the meta. This is especially a problem when competitive and casual players mix and is the topic of several GeekNights lectures . In the news, Furality was phenomenal this year, and the Nintendo Direct was underwhelming. Related Links Forum Thread Chasing the Meta Discord Chat Chasing the Meta Bluesky Post Chasing the Meta Things of th...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider games where the numbers go up. Like Balatro or Slay the Spire or 9 Kings or Vampire Survivors . These games might intersect with deeper societal problems related to the signifier and the signified and the trap of hyperreality . In the news, the NAACP calls for a boycott of southern public school athletics due to their extreme gutting of voting rights , Ferrari la...

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the games we played at PAX East 2026, including Spokes, Magical Athlete, The Third Man, Take Time, Tezuma Trick, Big Wave, QE, Catch the Moon, Robokraft, False Kingdom, Juggernaut, Peanuts Talent Show, and John Company 2.0. In the news, there's a Halloween game (not that one , and there's another Mario movie . Related Links Forum Thread Games we played at PAX E...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider puzzles in games. In the news, New York is suing Valve over illegal gambling , Valve's new hardware release timeline is heavily impacted by the RAM crisis but might still come in 2026 , Blades 68 is launching (Rym was in the playtest), and Nintendo is suing the United States over our president's illegal tariffs. Related Links Forum Thread Puzzles in Games Discord...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Paris Connection , also known as SNCF: France & Germany. It's no 1817 , but it's a distilled real train game that's worth playing. In the news, Overwatch 1 is back and Diablo 2 is back . Related Links Forum Thread Paris Connection Discord Chat Paris Connection Bluesky Post Paris Connection Things of the Day Rym -  Canada Curling Controversey Scott&nbs...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the early access version of 9 Kings . It's got some good things going on. In the news, the Switch is now the highest selling Nintendo console and the Switch 2 is the fastest selling Nintendo console. Swords Without Master is launching more broadly , and Scott is considering running a game . Also Congress has a chance to dismantle ICE : Call your senators . Related...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Big Shot (2001) . If you want some vicious auctions this is the game for you. In the news, the United States is in extreme crisis threatening to invade Greenland , invade Minnesota , terrorize the city of Minneapolis , and end the global world order as we know it. Also Mothership has good videogame journalism . Call your reps to tell them to defund ICE. Related Lin...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review a card game called Magic: The Gathering . It's 32 years old, so you may not have heard of it. In the news, gamers don't like generative AI and The Game Awards happened. Rym posted his [video editing process](https://community.frontrowcrew.com/t/the-geeknights-lecture-video-process/3683 for producing GeekNights panel and lecture videos. We will be live at Super MAGF...

Tonight on GeekNights, we share our early thoughts on Dispatch and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond . In the news, Frankfurt's Christmas market is lit, and the Netflix x Warner Brothers Discovery situation is even more dangerous than the baseline danger of capitalist consolidation of media. Related Links Forum Thread Initial Thoughts on Dispatch and Metroid Prime 4 Discord Chat Initial Thoughts on Dispatch...

Tonight on GeekNights we review the historical and topical 23 Knives (2025) . It's worth playing, and Rym is probably going to buy it. In the news, PAX Unplugged 2025 was smooth as butter, Doodle Puzzle is a good idea that's hard to make work, Gingham is more vicious than it appears, and Scott surprisingly is enjoying Octopath Traveler . Related Links Forum Thread 23 Knives Discord Chat 23 Knives...

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about when one messes up the rules in games. In the news, EA is being aquired by Trump-linked private equity , and VRChat has recaptured some of the magic of the Old Internet. Related Links Forum Thread Messing Up the Rules Discord Chat Messing Up the Rules Bluesky Post Messing Up the Rules Things of the Day Rym -  Project Gemini: The Most Dangerous Space P...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Gang , a fantastic cooperative tabletop game about pulling bank heists by ranking poker hands. In the news, there's lots to say about the Nintendo Direct , Borderlands 4 has angered gamers with its poor performance and Gearbox isn't handling it super well . 'Pitchford told people to “code your own engine and show us how it’s done, please,” and declared Borderla...

Tonight on GeekNights, we share our thoughts on Donkey Kong Bananza . In the news, Gamescom happened , PAX West badges aren't sold out , and you should see The Relationship Between Game Design and Art Direction with Naoki Yoshida and Hiroshi Minagawa . Related Links Forum Thread Donkey Kong Bananza Discord Chat Donkey Kong Bananza Bluesky Post Donkey Kong Bananza Things of the Day Rym - ...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider Tower Defense games like the famous Desktop Tower Defense (2007) . In the news, Ozzy Osbourne made it to 76 , the PS5 Store is full of AI slop , Steam is caught up in the war on "pornography" , and Deltarune is fantastic. Rym's solo version of Every Game is the Same Game from Zenkaikon is live! Related Links Forum Thread Tower Defense Games Discord Chat Tower Def...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider auction and bidding mechanics in games. In the news, DriveThruRPG chose cowardice , and Microsoft lays of 9,000 people . GeekNights will be live at PAX West with an all new lecture on the same topic as this show! Our talk The Everlasting Game from PAX East is on youtube! Related Links Forum Thread Auction and Bidding Mechanics Discord Chat Auction and Bidding Mec...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider day one of having a Nintendo Switch 2 . In the news, Fortnite on the Switch 2 will support objectively superior FPS controls , REMATCH might do what Scott has always wanted, the Blades '68 playtest is done and you will soon be able to play Blades '68 ! The Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is actually worth buying, and Mario Kart World is fun but the tracks are too...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review two Spiel des Jahres 2025 nominees — Flip 7 and Krakel Orakel — plus Context , a game that's harder the smarter you are. In the news, Rym has been diving deep into VRchat's true value , Shadow Labyrinth's mazes are revealed, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 dropped roll cancels from Capcom vs SNK 2 , and Apple bought the creators of Sneaky Sasquatch . Related Links For...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Quacks , previously released as The Quacks of Quedlinburg in 2018. It's a push your luck game that is fun, but just short of greatness. (That's rare praise from GeekNights). In the news, Greater Than Games is forced to reduce staff in light America's ridiculous tariff war, and tabletop companies are suing our president over America's ridiculous tariff war. Related...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the acquisition of new gaming consoles . In the news, Overwatch competitive mode adds hero bans , the fourth of the old scrolls are remastered , and Scott has Hemorrhoids. The GeekNights content you crave. Related Links Forum Thread Getting a New Game Console Discord Chat Getting a New Game Console Bluesky Post Getting a New Game Console Things of the Day Rym&nbs...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Heat: Pedal to the Metal (2022) . It's a car racing game with well-tuned push-your-luck mechanics that is definitely worth a play. It's even better over multiple races. In the news, Cory Booker heroically and historically holds the Senate floor for over 24 hours in a powerful rebuke of Donald Trump's fascism (beating Strom Thurmond's vile "record" ). Also torpedo b...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Friedemann Friese's sequel to Power Grid titled Power Grid: Outpost . We highly recommend reading the second page of the rulebook closely. In the news, Pokémon Go (and all your location data) were sold to Scopely , there's something to this nemesis system , and this is the most important thing you can pay attention to in America's ongoing crisis. Related Links Foru...

Tonight on GeekNights we review Shogun , released as part of the Milton Bradley Gamemaster series that we reviewed back in 2006 . Renamed to Samurai Swords and then to Ikusa, we revisited it with pro tabletop players this past weekend. We're a lot wiser about game mechanics and game design here in 2025, and this game holds up surprisingly well except for a few notable flaws. We're also trying an e...

Tonight on GeekNights we review Moorland (2023) . We played it twice at PAX Unplugged and it's a solid game with two novel mechanics. In the news, New York's congestion relief pricing is already fantastic, Valve makes insane money per employee , and two Gundam tabletop games are coming. Related Links Discord Chat Moorland (2023) Forum Thread Moorland (2023) Bluesky Post Moorland (2023) Things of t...