The Cane and Rinse videogame podcast

Developed by Moon Studios, the platform adventure game - Ori and the Blind Forest was released in 2015 to much critical acclaim. In this podcast Tony Atkins, Ryan Hamann, Darren Gargette and Joshua Garrity discuss the game and it's distinctive art style, the music and we also include contributions from our community and their three-word reviews. Music used in this issue: Track 1: Main Theme by Gar...

Nintendo entrusted the development of a Zelda game to Capcom 'super-group' Flagship for 2001's simultaneously released duo of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. The project started out as an attempt at remaking the original 1986 The Legend of Zelda for Game Boy Color before morphing into a profoundly more ambitious brand new trilogy of games then ultima...

For many, the idea of JRPG maestros Level-5 teaming up with animation and storytelling magicians Studio Ghibli was the stuff of fantasy. Ni no Kuni ('Second Country') was the entirely real manifestation of this collaboration however, arriving first on DS in late 2010 before coming, extended and opulent in HD, to the PS3 a year later. Leon, Josh, Ryan and returning guest Simon Cole focus on the ear...

With their mothers, fathers, siblings and even their old mate Alex all slayed by DEATH=ADDER, Leon, Karl, Michiel Kroder and Dan Clark avenge their losses by thoroughly giving SEGA AM1's 1989 fantasy brawler Golden Axe, its inspirations, its various conversions, sequels, spin-offs and legacy the once over. As usual we also share memories and opinions from listeners via both the Cane and Rinse foru...

Inspired by the arcade games of CAVE and Treasure, the modern day Manic Shoot 'Em Up has found a home in the living room. Final Form Games' 2011 shmup, Jamestown has Bullet Hell hallmarks, but its unusual setting, structure and soundtrack piqued the collective interests of James, Ryan, Tony and special guest, genre specialist Simon Cole. Music used in this issue: Track 1: Prologue by Francisco Cer...

Titanfall landed just over two years ago, the much anticipated first product of former Infinity Ward devs, Respawn Entertainment. Although closely associated with Xbox One (and perhaps therefore unfortunately, that particular console's controversial launch), the game also arrived on PC and 360. Leon, Josh, Karl and guest David Turner of The Computer Game Show strap in and chew over what they enjoy...

In our sixth podcast covering Nintendo's fantasy series, we come to 2000's The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Leon, Ryan, Michiel Kroder (as well as an audio contribution from Leah Haydu) are your panel as we attempt to cram everything we need to say about this densest of games into a single three day cycle. Eiji Aonuma's full directorial debut provokes a wide array of responses to the game's var...

Breakaway studio Treasure launched its first game in 1993, Gunstar Heroes. Formed of some of Konami's crack Super Nintendo coders, Treasure rapidly built its reputation on this hectic, sometimes surreal sprite and special effects-heavy run and gunner for SEGA's 16-bit Mega Drive/Genesis. Leon, along with a panel of enthusiasts - Michiel Kroder, Dan Clark and Simon Cole - discuss both the original...

Darren, Karl and Sean discuss RAGE, a game from a fascinating time in id Software's history. The then brand new id Tech 5 engine rendering a 'MegaTextured' post-cataclysmic wasteland is the setting as we converse at length about what it's like to drive, shoot and craft in RAGE. Does the aesthetic live up to id's previous work? Do MegaTextures matter? And just how did they get away with a competiti...

"Josh and Ryan, along with special guests Leah Haydu and Jerome McIntosh, enter the mysterious dark hour and explore every nook and cranny of ominous edifice Tartarus. This isn't the first time we've gotten to know some Japanese high school students, with unusual extra curricula activities. However, this group's tale proves to be considerably darker than one found within issue 80. So grab your evo...

Darren, Ryan, Cane and Rinse débutante Michiel Kroder and returning guest Jon Salmon discuss the potty-mouthed squirrel before, after and around the rather unorthodox platformer, Conker's Bad Fur Day. Focusing mainly on the original N64 comedy adventure, we discuss how a Scouse dung beetle sounds to non-English players, we consider what's it like to play the game for the first time in 2016 and whe...

In which a panel of Leon, Darren, Karl and Leah Haydu consider what the fifth The Legend of Zelda title brought to both the series and videogaming in general. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remains one of the best-reviewed games in the history of the medium, but how do we feel about the game some 18 years after its Nintendo 64 launch? As well as our own perspectives - then and now - of versi...

Following on from our earlier Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain podcasts, we turn our attention to Quantic Dreams' interactive drama action-adventure - Beyond: Two Souls. Tony, Jay, Sean and Karl discuss the 2013 release, the hype surrounding it and whether it delivers on its promise of an emotionally engaging experience? Music used in this issue: Track 1: Jodie's Suite by Lorne Balfe Track 2: Beyond by L...

On this special edition of Cane and Rinse, Ryan Hamann (@Insrt interviews author, professor, and games philosopher Alfie Bown (twitter), sharing the insights that he has gained while writing his book Enjoying It: Candy Crush and Capitalism Music used in this issue: Track 1: Spring (The Valley Comes Alive) by Eric Barone from Stardew Valley Track 2: Theme by Carlo Castellano from The Swapper. Do yo...

In the second of our current run of three id Software podcasts, Leon, Darren and Jon Salmon focus their ineffective flashlights on 2004's much-hyped DOOM 3. How much of a big deal was it at the time, and how does it fare more than a decade down the line? Additionally, a handful of community contributors pop out of the closets in which they've been hiding to shock us with their correspondence and T...

Certainly not the first urban brawler although perhaps one of the most fondly remembered and influential, Capcom latterly entered the burgeoning arcade progressive beat-'em-up scene with 1989's Final Fight. Known as Street Fighter '89 during development, the game was eventually released without overt SF ties, though ended up donating various characters to later Street Fighter games (among others)....

Her Story arrived in Summer 2015 to critical acclaim and has since garnered numerous accolades and awards. The FMV investigation brainchild of Sam Barlow bears some similarity to his work on psychological profiling in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, but this time focuses on a single performance, that of Viva Seifert. Discover whether James, Tony, Josh and Ryan were enraptured by Her Story. Music...

In the fourth of this mammoth run of podcasts featuring Nintendo's eternal hero we are washed ashore on the dream island of Koholint in The Legend of Zelda; Link's Awakening. Leon and an all-USA panel of Ryan, Sean and Leah Haydu (@Improbable42) thoroughly explore Takashi Tezuka's much-loved fan project pocket marvel, supported as ever by Guardian Acorns from the forum and Pieces of Power from Twi...

The landscape of the videogame industry changed forever with the release of id Software‘s epochal corridor shooter, DOOM. In this issue of the podcast, Leon, Darren, Karl and new panellist Jon Salmon re-open the sphinctered dimensional gateway to pain, pandemonium and Pinky Demons. Along with contributions from the Cane and Rinse forum and Twitter feed, our fearless Doomguys talk about everything...

Buckle your chastity belts because we're exploring the romantic horror that is Atlus' oddball block-climber / dating game Catherine. Ryan Hamann, Joshua Garrity, and Sean O'Brien belly up to the bar to talk about the Persona team's unusual specimen. Will they survive? That's up to you, listeners. Music used in this issue: Track One: Hitsujigamine by Shoji Meguro Track Two: Roux by Shoji Meguro Tra...

In the year 2000, Ion Storm released the cyberpunk-themed action role-playing video game Deus Ex to universal acclaim. James Carter, Ryan Hamann, Joshua Garrity and Karl Moon look back on this award winning game and discuss how it stands the test of time some sixteen years later. We also include a plethora of contributions from our community and of course, the usual selection of three word reviews...

Released on the one year anniversary of the Super Famicom in Japan, The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods arrived in the USA and Europe as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in 1992. Returning the to the oblique, top-down perspective of the original The Legend of Zelda, the third game in the franchise - actually a prequel (hence the name) - set many of what would become the series' tradem...

After the Street Fighter II series finally came to its end but before The New Generation's 2007 Street Fighter III debut, Capcom brought us... a whole ton of SF-related stuff: The 'Versus' series, a puzzle game, a kawaii spin-off, some chunky EX polygons, lots of Marvel stuff and the fun horror of the Vampire/Darkstalkers titles. But running throughout and ultimately overlapping this period came a...

In this issue, Host Tony Atkins is joined by Karl Moon, Sean O'Brien and Darren Gargette as they venture over to Sunset City to discuss the 2014 title developed by Insomniac Games and published by Microsoft Studios as an Xbox One exclusive - Sunset Overdrive. Music used in this issue: Track 1: They Come to Get Us by The Death Set Track 2: Between the Lines by Bass Drum of Death Cane and Rinse 206 ...

It's the trial of the century! The prosecution and defense line up to examine and find the truth about Gyakuten Saiban a.k.a. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Ryan Hamann and Joshua Garrity from Cane and Rinse are joined by Susan Marmito of Ready Up! in a recording studio that's in Los Angeles. Definitely Los Angeles. What reason would you have to assume it was anywhere other than Los Angeles?! All r...