Select and Start

Keifer tries his best to host his version of a video game awards show after offering his critiques of The Game Awards in the last episode. What categories will there be? What are his favorite games of 2023? Why is Alan Wake so determined to be a part of it? On a not unrelated note I've recently learned there is mold in my walls. Sorry if that shows in the final product. Alan Wake Intro - 0:00 Open...

2023 was one of the best years for video games, but it was one of the worst for the video game industry. In the first episode of 2024, Keifer takes an episode to reflect on the year by analyzing The Game Awards 2023, and explaining how it's symptomatic of the issues plaguing the industry. Select and Start is a video game podcast where the host, Keifer Lirette, talks with his guests about their mos...

Kept you waiting, huh? Manu (aka ManuclearBomb) from the NotACast Pod-Cast and My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast, returns to the show to talk about Metal Gear Solid 2 and the impact it made on his life! We also talk about this game's legacy, its influences, its controversies, and its prescient themes. Not only that, we also give our thoughts on the recently announced live-action Zelda film, discu...

With great podcasts there must also come great responsibility. With okay ones you can get a little silly with it though. Avry Robin Ott, Keifer's best friend and the person who provides this show's artwork, returns to the show to talk about what Spider-Man, the character and the 2018 video game, means to him! We also talk about our favorite superheroes, superheroes in interactive media, the legacy...

CONTENT WARNING: Phantasmagoria contains a scene depicting sexual assault. This aspect of the game, as well as the controversy it caused around the time of its release, is discussed in this episode. It is discussed during the No Country For Old Games segment starting at the 57 minute and 45 second mark and is brought up again periodically throughout the episode. Please listen at your own discretio...

Happy Halloween, super ghouls 'n gamers! Andrew Sherman, head of the Moonshot Podcast Network and host of ARGonauts and The Podcast Mines: There But For the Grace of Pod Go We, stops by to talk about the roguelike deck-building game Inscryption and the impact it made on his life!  Also, Keifer got Covid and he's _pissed. _ We also talk about our history with card games and deck-builders, Nintendo...

HOLD IT! Kev Koeser, co-host of Talking Trek To You, stops by to talk about Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and why the series means so much to them. We also talk about the uniquely great Nintendo DS library, the visual novel genre, adventure games, and more! Also Keifer nearly drives himself insane with his longest intro yet. We also talk about AI: The Somnium Files, Ghost Trick, Hotel Dusk, Oxenfre...

Mike Pettry, a musician and composer for TV, video games, theatre, and this podcast, comes on the show to talk about the groundbreaking Final Fantasy VII and the meteor-sized impact it made on his life! We also talk about video game music, how Mike composed the show's awesome theme song, the Final Fantasy franchise, the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, and more! Other games discussed in this epis...

Can you dig it? Filmmaker and close friend Roman Fruehan comes out to play AND discuss the Rockstar's 2005 beat-em-up, The Warriors. We talk about the game AND the 1979 Walter Hill film it's based on and why they both mean so much to Roman and how they changed his life. We also talk movies, video game adaptations of films, make Roman rank them in yet another segment of Rank and Cinephile, and talk...

Filmmaker and YouTube creator AdequateEmily stops by to talk about why Portal is her favorite game of all time! We also talk about being suspended on Twitter, making our dads violently ill through video games, prejudice in video games, licensed games, and more! Other games discussed in the episode include: The Half-Life series, Team Fortress 2, Portal 2, the Persona series, Nickelodeon video games...

Kooloo-Limpah! Writer Jameisen Borak comes on to talk about his and Keifer's favorite video game of all time: The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask. Jamiesen talks about why the game means so much to him, and how it affected his life and influenced him as a writer. Also, The show gets a new theme song and Keifer gets stuck in a time loop. We also talk about the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, loneli...

Ahoy! Eric Peacock, host of the motion-picture soundtrack podcast Soundtracker, returns to the show to talk about the cozy management game about dying: Spiritfarer!  We also talk about death, video game preservation, remakes, music covers, the new John Carpenter game, and indie games!   Other games discussed in this episode: Resident Evil 4 Remake, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2, The Warriors, Dead Cell...

Happy Indie-pendence Day gamers! Moonshot Network's own Jay (creator of Additional Postage Required and co-host of Champs in the Making) stops by to talk about the indie time loop exploration game "Outer Wilds" and why it means so much to them! They also talk about Pokémon, how it got them into video games, and more!   Other topics covered in this episode: games journalism, Indie games,...

Yahaha! It's the 25th episode of Select and Start and Keifer decided to do a quick solo episode! He talks about the new Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, his favorite media of 2023 so far, and reflects on the first year of the show! Thank you so much for listening to the show. Time Stamps: Intro and Housekeeping: 0:00 - 8:30 Tears of the Kingdom Thoughts: 8:30 - 41:20 2023 So Far: 42:40 - 56:...

Happy Pride, gamers! Riley Hopkins from the Moonshot Network joins me to talk about the one-of-a-kind Sonic Adventure 2 and why it's their favorite game of all time! We also talk about Sonic as a franchise, quiz Riley on their Sonic knowledge, reminisce on the GameCube, and more! Other topics covered in this episode include: The SEGA Dreamcast, The Sonic movie, Hi-Fi Rush, The Fast and Furious fra...

Poyo! Chris Osborne (host of play comics Play Comics and co-host of Legends of S.H.I.E.L.D.) stops by to talk about Kirby's Dream Land, and why it means so much to him! We also talk about the legacy of the Game Boy, platformers, Zelda: Link's Awakening, and more! Select and Start is a video game podcast where the host, Keifer Lirette, talks with his guests about their most meaningful and memorable...

Ahoy! Eisner award-winner Hamish Steele, creator of the webcomic Deadendia as well as its Netflix adaptation Dead End: Paranormal Park, stops by to talk about The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and why it means so much to them! We also talk about other video games important to Hamish, such as Persona 5 and Earthbound, get into our opinions on the Zelda series as a whole, gauge our hype levels for...

The name's Bond. Games Bond. Jason from Force Five stops by to talk about the monumentally influential GoldenEye 007 and the impact it made on his life! We also talk about Rare's legacy as a developer, the GoldenEye film, rank some movie-to-game adaptations, and more! Other topics covered on this episode include: Sports video games, Nintendo 64 wrestling games, favorite Bond films, Project Gotham...

It's the show's 20th episode! Chloe (co-host of the Girls Gone Canon Cast and @liesandarbor on Twitter) stops by to talk about why Final Fantasy VIII means so much to her. Meanwhile, Keifer tries his best to stop calling Squall "Leon." We also talk about the Final Fantasy franchise in general, talk about our favorite games in the series, why VIII stands out as a black sheep among them wh...

Stephanie Paxson (@spaxcadet on twitter, spaxson on Instagram and TikTok) stops by to talk about Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic The Last of Us and why it means so much to her! We also discuss how the HBO series fares as an adaptation. We also discuss apocalyptic fiction, the Fallout series, getting into video games as an adult, video game adaptations, and more! Other games discussed in this episod...

We return to a Galaxy Far Far Away with Caroline Thompson (co-host of "How Have You Not Seen?") as we discuss Pandemic Studios' Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005). We talk about how a game about capturing command posts captured our hearts, Star Wars video games in general, movie-to-video game adaptations, and introduce a brand new segment to the show! Other topics discussed in this episode...

DATA RECEIVED! Marc Normandin stops by to talk about the legendary Metroid Prime, and why it means so much to him. We also discuss the Metroid series holistically, his Substack series Retro XP, and determine what the best Nintendo console is.   Other topics covered in this episode include: The Alien franchise, Gears of War 2, the Fire Emblem series, Metroid Prime 4, Metroid Prime Remastered, and m...

Michael, history's most successful legal podcaster (and also known as the co-host of the 5-4 Pod, ALAB Series, and @_FleerUltra on Twitter) drops by to talk about why Guerrilla Games' open-world blockbuster Horizon Zero Dawn means so much to him! We also discuss his history with video games, falling in love with them again, why being a lawyer sucks, and more! Select and Start is a video game podca...

Good morning! Jane Altoids from The Pacino Pod stops by to talk about why the 1996 fighting game Tekken 2 means so much to her! We also talk about Bob Dylan, how important the Playstation 1 was, classic RPGs, Al Pacino's gaming history, and more! Select and Start is a video game podcast where the host, Keifer Lirette, talks with his guests about their most meaningful and memorable video game exper...

Cheers, mate! Select and Start comes back swinging with Twitch streamer Suzal talking about why the indie darling Hades means so much to her. We also talk about the joy and stress of Twitch streaming, the nature of parasocial relationships, indie game development, and what makes video games such a unique storytelling medium. Select and Start is a video game podcast where the host, Keifer Lirette,...