The Cane and Rinse videogame podcast

Tetris: Such a simple, elegant game with such a complex and convoluted back story. Leon, Josh, Karl and Leah recall the heights of their Tetris addictions and the versions (among countless versions) that worked for them and those incarnations which failed to capture the spark of Alexey Pazhitnov's original. As usual, the panel is embellished by the memories of the Cane and Rinse community, and als...

Following a protracted and disrupted development, Rare eventually launched its spiritual successor-cum-sci-fi-sequel to the ubiquitous GoldenEye 007 (see issue 200 of the podcast) in the summer of 2000. Leon, Darren, Karl, Michiel and Tony recall the elation and the disappointments that Perfect Dark brought, the endless hours of multiplayer and the Elvis. Along with contributions from the Cane and...

Joining Leon for this interview extra is WayForward Technologies' Game Director, Tomm Hulett. Recounting his remarkable career, Tomm tells us of his early days testing Dave Perry games for Virgin, before moving on to localisation work on JRPGs including Persona 3 for Atlus. Then he reveals all about his bittersweet time producing Silent Hill titles for Konami - as well as the subsequent and viciou...

Cane and Rinse announces its desire to make twice the amount of podcasts from 2018 with the support of its incredible listeners and community!

We travel to the year 2140 and crash land on the planet Titan. Panelists Karl, Michiel, Sean and returning guest, Dan Clark discuss Delphine Software’s visually iconic 1992 smash hit, Flashback. Join us as we travel to New Washington, battle Death Tower and help fight back the threat of the Morphs. Music used in this issue: 1: Main Theme by Jean Baudlot and Fabrice Visserot 2: Death Tower by Jean...

His name is Max and his world is fire and blood. Tony Atkins, Sean Bell, Jay Taylor and, making his Cane and Rinse debut, Mark Delaney discuss Avalanche Studios' 2015 open world action adventure game Mad Max. Witness them as they contemplate whether it rides to the gates of Valhalla, all shiny and chrome, or is merely mediocre. Music used in this issue: 1: Abrasive by Mats Lundgren 2: Rage by Mats...

The art of the Ninja is one of subtlety, patience and stealth. However, no one told Mr. Hayabusa this, and so Josh Garrity, Sean O'Brien and Michiel Kroder bare witness to Ryu figuratively tear up the Ninja guide book and paint the streets of Tairon red with the blood of every soldier, fiend and even a few fellow Ninja he encounters. Does Team Ninja's cavalcade of chaotic carnage strike true with...

In this three-man dungeon run Cane and Rinse, we delve deep on (almost) everything Diablo, briefly discussing the first two games in the series before hacking and slashing our way through the third game - expansions, updates, warts and all. Darren hosts this week's issue along with panellists Karl and Sean, and our party of three discuss the evolution of Condor Games' original idea for Diablo (1),...

In this interview special, Ryan talks to Mattia Traverso about the 2016 Kinect oddity FRU, on which he is one of the designers. They chat about finding inspiration for games, developing for unique hardware, and balancing multi-modal challenges. Mattia also gives a detailed history of developing a Kinect game at a time when Microsoft was just about ready to pull the plug on the peripheral. They div...

Leon, Josh, Sean, Tony and the Cane and Rinse community lie to their spouses before slaughtering hundreds in their bid to unearth the treasure of Naughty Dog's multiple award-winning Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Emotional and technical aspects are duly held up to the light, along with jeweller's eye analysis of the platforming, the puzzles, the combat and - oh yes - ludonarrative dissonance. Music...

Join Josh and guests Jon Salmon and Sean Bell, as we return to the family home on Arbor Hill after a long tour around the world, only to find no one there to greet us. Have its occupants met a horrible fate? Perhaps you're not alone...or maybe the answer is much more simple and personal? Find out as we cover The Fullbright Company's Gone Home. Music used in this issue: Track 1: I said yes by Chris...

The engines are revving and the lights are green as Karl, Tony and returning guest Gary Blower discuss Bizarre Creations new racing venture, Project Gotham Racing, created to launch along with Microsoft’s first foray into the gaming market with the Xbox console, before discussing the sequel two years in the making, featuring perhaps the most diverse range of racing locations seen, with Project Got...

In the final podcast of our Zelda run spanning the first 27 or so years of the series, Leon, James, Josh and Leah arrive at Triforce of the Gods 2 - better known in the West as The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Not for the first time, Nintendo turned to Zelda III on the SNES - the original Triforce of the Gods, a.k.a. A Link to the Past for inspiration when it came to bringing the classi...

Another 'cult classic' comes under the Cane and Rinse microscope as we inspect skip Ltd.'s late entry into Nintendo's GameCube library, Chibi-Robo! Leon is joined by a trio of diminutive automaton helpers, Jeff Cork (Game Informer), Susan Marmito (Ready Up) and Simon Cole (Cool Box Art) to dissect every element of this unusual and quirky third-person adventure. Get your earbuds out and Plug Into A...

Former Rare man Darren is your host as a panel of Karl, Michiel and Tony cause environmental carnage in an attempt to save the world from environmental catastrophe. Two decades on from release our correspondents consider the (lack of) legacy of early N64 'cult classic', Blast Dozer and discuss whether or not a 'Backlash' was justified. Music used in this issue: Track 1: World Map by Graeme Norgate...

In a slightly different sort of Cane and Rinse podcast, Leon, James and Josh are joined by developers The Working Parts to fully inhale 'sunken forest frog adventure', They Breathe. Hugo Bille, Magnus Nyström, Victor Nyström and Kristian Johansson gather together in their Stockholm studio to discuss the creation and inner workings of this underwater curio, and whether or not the team feel that the...

Leon talks to Ben Clavin of Pewter Games Studios about their charming debut adventure, The Little Acre. An unusual point and clicker set in rural 1950s Ireland, none other than Revolution’s Charles Cecil (Broken Sword) came on board as Executive Producer the game. Edited by Jay Taylor Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read out on the podcast? Then venture over to o...

In our 14th of 15 podcasts covering The Legend of Zelda, we arrive at the most recent 'big console' game in the series (before 2017's Breath of the Wild that is), Wii exclusive The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. With the longest development time and the longest completion time up to this point in the series, has Nintendo's 2011 critical smash stood the test of time, Wii MotionPlus controls and al...

It's high time humans extended an olive branch to the monsters they exiled years ago. To do just that, James, Tony and special guest Maya Santandrea venture into the darkest depths of Toby Fox's Undertale. Find out if they escape and whether they'll be welcomed back. Music used in this issue: Track 1: Once upon a time by Toby Fox Track 2: Nyeh Heh Heh! by Toby Fox Track 3: Bonetrousle by Toby Fox...

Tony, Leah, Sean and Jay take to the smog-filled, grimy streets of an alternative history Victorian era London to discuss Ready at Dawn's visually resplendent, yet critically divisive, third-person action-adventure title - The Order: 1886. However, be warned, the podcast may contain talk of realistically flappy appendages! Music used in this issue: Track 1: The Knights Theme by Jason Graves Track...

To tie in with issue 254 of the podcast, we talk to the most successful European Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike player of all time, Ryan Hart The Prodigal Son talks to Leon and Michiel about the dawn of the fighting game community in the early 90s, from his earliest tournament experiences to success at EVO. He recounts bouts against the likes of Daigo and getting right up Justin Wong's nose. On to...

Following the earlier Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Zero/Alpha series podcasts, Leon and James - along with guests Dan Bendon and Gary Dooton - mark the 20th anniversary of the New Generation with a show all about Street Fighter III. Our marvelous community assists us in following through from the original coin-ops less than rapturous reception in '97, to the extended life afforded to Third...

When the arcades ruled and legal teams didn't, Konami went a long way to defining the run and gun genre with its Arnie and Sly take on the Aliens game, Contra . As well as a few name changes (Gryzor, Probotector, 'C') and plot alterations along the way, Contra also received a Super coin-op sequel. Leon, Michiel and returning guest Dan Clark focus on the first two titles in this mighty franchise, w...

We're almost on the homeward stretch of our odyssey of Link, with this particular leg of the journey a little lighter on the boot leather as we take the train. Leon, Darren, Josh and Leah are all aboard for Nintendo's second DS title in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, along with - as ever - invaluable insight tendered by the Cane and Rinse community. Music used in this issue: Track...

Volume Six begins at the end of all things. the village of Yaughton has emptied, and now James, Sean, Tony and Jay follow The Chinese Room's signal to discover if Everybody's Gone To The Rapture. Music used in this issue: Track 1: I am not afraid by Jessica Curry Track 2: The Morning Tree by Jessica Curry Cane and Rinse 251 was edited by Jay Taylor Do you have an opinion about a game we're coverin...