The Best Games Ever Podcast

The PlayStation 3 was a strange thing. The console, arriving late to the party that the Xbox 360 kicked off quite brilliantly, was a big deal. Certainly, in Sony-owned countries like the UK, it seemed everyone was waiting for it. It didn't really matter that the launch line-up was a bit naff, that the console itself looked hideous, or that it was ridiculously expensive. The follow-up to perhaps th...

Do you ever think about the time before mobile phones? The era of calling your the landline in your mate's house, only for their mum to answer. "Can I talk to Jimmy, please?" "Is that Tom? OK, I'll get Jimmy." "... JIMMY! JIMMY! TOM IS ON THE PHONE." "Hello." "Hello. Do you want to come round my house?" "... MUM! CAN I GO ROUND TOM'S HOUSE?" "... ARE YOU HAVING TEA THERE?" "Mum says am I having te...

It’s Barking, 1978. We’re playing an away match against the Under 9 Tigers, and I’m in goal, being the team’s only goalkeeper, and despite my repeated request for new kneepads being consistently denied. “Ain’t got the funds, lad” was the constant refrain from the manager, Keith, ever clad in his suede coat, gold chains, and cashmere polo neck: the standard uniform at the time of people who had lar...

Having kids is wonderful when it's not the most tiring, life-changing thing you can do to yourself - and even then you only remember the wonderful bits. When your child smiles at you for the first time and it isn't a build up of gas... wonderful. When your child says "dada" not as part of a string of completely random sounds... wonderful. When your child laughs at you for doing something only they...

It's not common knowledge, but international mega star, Beyoncé, is a huge Assassin's Creed fan. I'm quite surprised more hasn't been made about this, given her influence, but now you know. Her 2006 stratospheric chart topper, Irreplaceable, was at one point all about Assassin's Creed - a game she played an early build of and loved so much she simply had to pen a song about it, even before it hit...

Games who ape films Who like films to be games Who make films like they're games Who make games like they're films Always should be something you really love You couldn't go anywhere in 1994 without Blur's classic, Games and Films, wriggling through the airwaves and into your ears. No other song captured the mood of the era better. Video games were rising, but wanted to get the credibility of film...

I’ll come clean. I’m writing this well in advance of publication as I’m going on holiday. I usually spend literal minutes coming up with a brilliant way to segue into the topic of the week’s podcast. It is often very brilliant and hilarious. The relationship between me and the podcast article is complicated. It’s not easy. It requires work for it to be the best it can be. You can’t just turn up an...

In my final year of Primary School the whole of Year 6 worked together to create a time capsule. This was nothing new, I’m sure. No doubt that school field is now almost impossible to navigate with stepping on precious artifacts of a bygone era. But, the point is, we were attempting to put together a package that one day would be looked at by future children (probably with hover boots, and hover c...

My daughter has a favourite toy. It's a Squishmallow called Serene. Serene is a round-ish turquoise squirrel. If you're not into soft toys, you may not know how popular Squishmallows are, but to give you an idea... the last time I was in the local toy shop, every one of the four people in the queue to pay had hold of a Squishmallow. But the popularity of Squishmallows isn’t the point of this littl...

We can't help it when something rubs us the wrong way. Disclaimer: For legal reasons some of the names of the people involved in this story have been altered. ”Steve,” exclaimed the supply teacher, Miss Personality Vacuum. ”Yes, Miss,” replied Steve. ”Frank.” ”Here, Miss,” replied Frank. ”George.” ”Yes, Miss,” replied George. ”Stacey.” ”Yes, Miss, here” replied Stacey. ”Dickhead,” continued Miss P...

Teenage independence brought with it the chance to shape our own gaming futures. Goodbye England's rose May you ever grow in our hearts You were the grace that placed itself Where lives were torn apart You called out to our country And you whispered to those in pain Now you belong to heaven And the stars spell out your name   As the news of Diana’s death forced itself into the homes of everyone in...

We all love things we shouldn't love. Video games are no different. ”I can’t believe you!” she screamed, having caught him in the act.   She’d left work to surprise him. A lovely little act of kindness on what would have otherwise been a completely ordinary day. Just another feature-less weekday blended in with all the rest – the palatable home-made protein smoothie of life.   A posh afternoon tea...

When this topic was decided, we overestimated our ability to ignore the obvious crude options.   This was the moment. Time to be a hero, to go down as a legend, forever remembered in the history books as the person who took the team into the final.   He stepped up to the penalty spot, placed the ball and shuffled back. The goalkeeper looked nervous, but then so was the penalty taker. It was a cold...

Look, we know this is pushing the term "most," but just go with it. It was February, 1996. A coke-filled, overweight 13-year-old me was reading about CES in issue 148 of CVG and salivating over the ultra-positive review of Sonic 3. CVG gave out some high scores, but a 94 was pretty exciting for a SEGA boy like me. What a life I’d have as a games journalist, I thought to myself. Not high on drugs,...

It's hard being a kid. There are so many games but rarely do you have the cash to get them all. It was 4:45 pm on Tuesday. The moon was visible in the blue sky, motionless and distant but looming large. Like an egg in the ocean, that you happened to be viewing through some binoculars you accidentally had the wrong way round. This, I thought, was the world manifesting my brain’s turmoil. My noggin...

Video games can be ridiculous, but which ones would the average Joe think you'd completely made up? Someone please save me from writing something here every week. Is there a not an AI capable of doing this, albeit without my amazing sense of humour? We’ve got games that let you explore procedurally generated worlds! Someone procedurally generate some words for me! On that happy note, the VG247 The...

Sometimes we seek out games. Other times they seek out us. It's another brilliant VG247 podcast. Hello again I won’t lie. As I attempt to write some general blurb about this podcast for the fifth time and not make it the dullest thing imaginable, I’m struggling. But hey, ho, the VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast returns, with episode 5. This week I worried we’d end up talking about how Steve from...

Hello again listeners. It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole week since I rewrote the last one of these, but the calendar does not lie. The VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast returns, with episode 4. This week we’re talking about the most British of things: pubs. And by “talking” I mean, arguing about the best game with a pub. Are the games good, and what makes for a good pub? That and more will b...

This one is going to cause some arguments. What defines a mini-game? The VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast returns once more, with episode 3. This week we’re arguing (quite a lot, actually) over the best game with a mini-game better than the main game. This brought up some good choices, but also posed the eternal question: what defines a mini-game? Have a listen to see if you agree. “What is VG247...

Can you think of a great game that everyone seemed to ignore? We came up with three. The VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast is back with episode 2, following the tradition of going after episode 1. This week we’re fighting over the best game that nobody cares about. Hmm, tricky one, that. Have a listen to see if you agree with our choices and which game was victorious. “What is VG247’s Best Games E...

For quite some time we’ve wanted to produce a podcast on VG247, but for assorted reasons nothing ever got off the ground. That has now changed. VG247's The Best Games Ever Podcast is here. “What is this new podcast?” you ask, with the child-like glee usually reserved for when you spot a new type of M&M or an ice cream version of a favourite childhood sweet. Well, it’s quite simple, really. Each we...

VG247's The Best Games Ever Podcast First Episode will launch Friday, May 27, 2 PM BST.  Here's our brilliant intro jingle to set the tone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices