The Cane and Rinse videogame podcast

Is this really the end of Kiryu’s journey?  Well, we know it’s not, but at the time of release, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life was the final chapter in Kiryu’s story.  Join Brian, Leah and Michiel as they examine whether or not this was a fitting final chapter for the Dragon of Dojima.

It's the near future. The town of Norco has been driven to the brink of devastation by the Shield Corporation. Ryan, Leah, Jon, and Jesse venture back home to uncover the secrets of the town and the supernatural powers hiding within. In this issue, we discuss point-and-click adventure debut NORCO.

“It did appear that they might be onto something but not so.” After almost thirty years of (more than) annual releases, EA Sports’ FIFA series […] The post FIFA – Cane and Rinse No.595 appeared first on Cane and Rinse .

SEGA AM2 doubled down on an icon in 2003 when it finally released OutRun 2 into the arcades. Updates, expansions and follow-ups came - and went, thanks to elapsed licensing - but it's now been 14 years since a new game in the series was made available. Leon, Chris Worthington and Michiel celebrate Sumo Digital's work in bringing the mighty coin-ops home, while lamenting the expense of securing leg...

It's been a while since we covered Halo 5 (check out that and our other Halo podcasts in the archive), but now it's been a couple of years since the release of its successor, so we felt it was time to review Halo Infinite. Leon, Brian, Karl, Tony and a swathe of community contributors recall 343's rocky road to launch and beyond, assess the state of the game then and now - even considering whether...

Our last adventure with Samus for this year as we travel back to 2004 for the GameCube sequel, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Leon, Brian, Leah and Rich - along with contributors from the Patreon and forum - revisit Retro Studios' divisive dark middle chapter of their first-person 3D trilogy. For some, this instalment is one of their least fondly remembered Metroid experiences - frustrating and unfriend...

When we scheduled this show, it had been over 18 years since the most recent release of a new F-Zero game. Then Nintendo threw us for a loop with the shadow-drop of the free-to-play battle royale F-Zero 99! Nevertheless, as planned, Leon, Karl and Michiel - along with contribution s from Our Ryan and the wider community - come together to celebrate and analyse this long-dormant future racer franch...

We all know that Mario and Luigi have been on RPG adventures before, but in their first adventure on the GBA, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, it’s a whole new quest with new friends, new enemies, and all new abilities to help them save the day! Join Chris, Ryan, and Leah as they travel to the Beanbean Kingdom in our latest issue.

Few would pick a game, based on a Theme Park experience based on a movie, to be a standout launch title for PSVR2, but is that what we got?  Join Chris Worthington, Karl, James and Chris O’Regan as we look at whether ILM Immersive managed to capture some of that Star Wars magic.

Back on board the spooky train with the beloved action platform series, as we arrive in the 16-bit era and Super Castlevania IV. Leon, Leah, Michiel and community correspondents weigh in on this remake/'requel' of the original Akumajo Dracula. There's a lot of love for the soundtrack (except for prog/jazz hating Leah) and Simon's all-new eight-way wiggly whip.

From the arcades of 1993, through the console generations, we drift through every single iteration of Ridge Racer. OK, we haven't played every mobile version and pachi-slot, but Leon, Chris Worthington, Tony and community contributors have hundreds of hours of sideways thrills under their drive belts, and can't wait to reminisce. The aesthetics, the music and the feelings, whether its Revolution,...

A riveting tale of aerial derring-do is our focus in this podcast, as we revisit Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, twenty years on. Leon, Brian, Chis Worthington and Tony are your swashbuckling sky pirates, as we dogfight about how elegantly this one has aged since its 2003 launch on the OG Xbox. As usual, insightful and heartfelt community contributions round out the dashing discourse.

The Chinese Room had a difficult path ahead of them when they were tasked with creating a follow-up to Frictional Games’ massively successful - and massively scary - Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Does 2013’s Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs rise to the challenge? Join Leah, Jon, Sean, and Chris to find out whether they were just as spooked this time around.

Our third Sonic the Hedgehog show comes on a shiny silver plastic platter, as we alight upon Sonic CD. Leon, Tony, returning guest Dan Clark and community correspondents attempt to decipher SEGA's time warp mechanics, 3D special stages and races with the sinister Metal Sonic (not Mecha Sonic who is a very different thing). Plus of course, we join in the 30 year old music debate as we muse upon the...

Fore! Ryan, Jon, Sean, and Jesse tee up for a bunker chipping, birdie flopping, caddyshacking conversation about Australian indie darling Golf Story. Does this game land cleanly on the green, or is it a bogey? This conversation will go a fairway toward answering that question.

After 30 years, we release Chris, James, Jesse and Jon from their exile in D’ni. As they step, blinking and nervous, into the light, they find themselves on a strange island. This wonderful place is a gateway to puzzling worlds of history, influence, and mystery. Join us for a walk around the first of Cyan’s signature franchise: join us on Myst.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was marketed as an opportunity for players to live out their ultimate (Dark) Jedi power fantasies. Did the game succeed? Well, it certainly did commercially, leading to a sequel just two years later. Leon, Brian, Jon and community contributors polish their holocrons in a bid to convey what was successful and what wasn't about LucasArts' brace of stormtrooper-flinging...

Colt and Juliana go head to head, life or death, day after and day and for what? Leon, Tom, Tony and Jay relive Arkane Lyon's recursive immersive sim and, with some broadly rather negative community correspondence, attempt to explain where they feel that the ambitions of "DEATHLOOP" were met, and also where they fell short of flourishing to full fruition.

Following two delays (one long, one short), we can finally bring you our in-depth discussion of Final Fantasy Tactics (and The War of the Lions). Leon, Leah, Rich - and a returning Josh Garrity - have all completed this lengthy, daunting, and at times downright cruel game - and are ready to share their findings with you all. We also have a slate of valuable community contributions giving us jumpin...

Our fourth Shinobi series podcast sees Joe Musashi come to the end of his 16-bit era with - after a faltering start - what some consider to be the franchise's coup de grace. Leon, Chris Worthington, Jon and returning guest Dan Clark  - along with community contributors - tangle with NEO ZEED's even more mighty and evil forces in this all-action Mega Drive/Genesis joint

Should we fear death or should we embrace it?  Join Brian, Jon, Rich and Tom as they explore the existential meaning of Spiritfarer, the death-centric management sim by Thunderlotus. Do the management sim aspects of this game bolster or hinder the end of life message the developers attempt to convey?  Join them on this journey into the great beyond.

In our latest Castlevania show we land At Konami's second attempt at bringing the full-fat horror platformer experience to handheld in Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge. Leon, Brian, Jon, Leah and listener contributors find a slightly yet significantly upgraded protagonist - and one who can now even use axes and holy water - in this assault on Dracula's real estate portfolio. Special praise is dol...

For brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz, the bond they share might be the only thing they can really count on when a terrible accident changes their lives forever. Join Brian, Jon, Leah, and Tony as they follow the brothers’ trail all the way down the west coast of the US, and explore all the people they meet and circumstances they must navigate along the way. In Dontnod’s 2018 episodic adventure Life I...

Treasure's 10th release was also its first out-and-out shmup, and what an impact it made. A niche title made in small numbers on an unpopular machine (in the West at least) that became a legendary game. Leon, Chris Worthington, James and Michiel each have a different history with Radiant Silvergun from 'back in the day' 25 years ago right up to recent encounters via the Xbox and Switch versions. A...

Flicky, Agony, Alfred Chicken, Dynamite Dux, Untitled Goose Game. These are just some of the titles we think of when we try to recall videogames with avian protagonists. Manchester studio Acid Nerve added another feathered hero in 2021 with the release of its Zelda-esque Death's Door. Leon, Chris O'Regan, Sean and Tony - along with Cane and Rinse community contributors - dodge roll their way throu...