The Inner Gamer Podcast

This week on The Inner Gamer, Brett, Jason and Austin start with the indie story nobody saw coming: Meccha Chameleon, a $6 hide-and-seek party game from a nearly-solo Japanese dev team, sold millions of copies in days with zero marketing spend. They break down the skill-based mechanic that made it perfect for viral clips, the conspiracy theories that followed its success, and whether a tiny team c...

This week on The Inner Gamer, we tackle a massive crossroad for the entire video game industry. We lead off with an in-depth review of 007 First Light , breaking down how IO Interactive successfully stepped away from their classic Hitman sandbox formula to deliver a tight, narrative-driven James Bond origin story that balances high-octane spy craft with incredible narrative momentum. Then, we are...

Welcome back to The Inner Gamer , the roundtable podcast dedicated to analyzing the ideas, trends, and time-value decisions shaping modern video games. This week, we are kicking things off by driving straight into the stunning landscape of Japan with our full critique of Forza Horizon 6 . While Playground Games has delivered an absolute mechanical and visual masterpiece, we examine the concept of...

In this episode of The Inner Gamer , we pull back the curtain on the widening gap between stylistic hype and mechanical execution. We kick things off with a raw review of Mixtape , balancing its immaculate stop-motion aesthetic and killer soundtrack against a disappointing lack of player agency and core gameplay systems. We then shift our focus to the reality of live-service development sustainabi...

Is it possible for a $70 blockbuster to feel like it was actually designed for people with jobs and families? This week, we review Capcom's Pragmata and discuss why its bite-sized mission structure and emotional "Dad Hook" make it a gold standard for time-value in 2026. Then, we dive into the surreal world of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. We talk about why this "digital ant farm" is the ultima...

Is a game only worth it if you can play it forever, or is "fun" enough? This week on The Inner Gamer, we’re diving into the blood-soaked, synth-wave world of John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando to see if this vehicle-combat hybrid is the perfect "popcorn game" for your squad. We also head back to the Spire for an early look at Slay the Spire 2 , discussing whether the controversial new balance patches...

This week on The Inner Gamer, we dive into the "everything game" problem with our review of Crimson Desert . While it’s one of the most visually stunning open worlds ever made, does its overstuffed MMO-inspired DNA respect the time of a busy player, or is it just a beautiful collection of shallow systems? We also revisit Bungie’s Marathon a month after launch. The UI and art style are finally clic...

This week on The Inner Gamer, we’re breaking down the big shifts in how we play, pay for, and perceive our games. First, we spend some time in Pokémon Pokopia , the life-sim spin-off that might actually be the best-crafted Pokémon experience in years. It’s Animal Crossing meets Minecraft, but with a surprisingly emotional "Ghibli-esque" heart. Then, we tackle the tech controversy of the year: Nvid...

What happens when a legendary horror franchise finds its footing by looking backward? This week, we dive into Resident Evil Requiem , exploring why its tight, 10-hour dual-protagonist campaign is a masterclass in modern survival horror—and a perfect fit for gamers with a busy schedule. We also strap on our hover-skates for a review of High on Life 2 , discussing how Squanch Games is navigating its...

In this episode, we’re breaking down a week that has fundamentally shifted the tectonic plates of the gaming industry. First, we tackle the "Dream Team" success of Edmund McMillen’s Mewgenics —a 14-year labor of love that proves deep, uncompromising design still wins. We also check in on the "Indie Renaissance" with the undercover alien chaos of Roadside Research and the friendship-ending, $8 orbi...

In this episode of The Inner Gamer , we dive into the high-stakes world of modern hero shooters and the indie revolution of 2026. First, we tackle the polarizing launch of Highguard —discussing how its "PvP Raid" loop is surviving a rocky start through a massive Episode 2 update. Then, we flip the script to look at LORT , the breakout co-op roguelite from ex-Fortnite devs that proves small teams c...

We kick things off by mapping out the 2026 gaming calendar—not with rankings, but with a realistic survival guide. From early-year sequel grinds like Nioh 3 and Resident Evil Requiem , to spring’s speed-and-stealth energy with Forza Horizon 6 and 007 First Light , and all the way to an end-of-year showdown between Fable and Grand Theft Auto VI , we talk through when these games hit, which ones dem...

Welcome to our first episode of 2026! In this episode we kick off with our official Game of the Year for 2025. Each one of us has our top 10 list and we explore all of our favorite games from 10 to our #1 game of the year. At the end, we aggregate the picks to reveal our official Game of the Year for 2025 which may surprise you! After Game of the Year, we talk about a fun $20 game we played over t...

It's our last episode of the year! We'll back back in 2026 on January 13th, 2026 with our Game of the Year episode. In this episode, Jason reviews Dying Light the Beast. It's darker, more intense and hugely open. It follows Kyle from Dying Light 1 and highlights what happened to him after the events of the first. It also features up to 4 player co-op and it looks like the guys may join in and play...

In episode 436, Brett joins the Earth Directorate on a planet-hopping adventure in The Outer Worlds 2. Conspiracy is rampant and you must find and stop the people responsible. This game features a ton of player choice and the ability to shape your character in a variety of ways to suit your playstyle. Brett also finished all 8 episodes of Dispatch and it continued to impress. The ending hit the la...

Embark Studios is back and this time it's their shiny new extraction shooter called Arc Raiders. This is a long-anticipated game from Brett who fell in love with The Finals, also made by Embark. This is their next game which takes you topside from Speranza to loot and extract back with valuable resources. Fight Arc Robots and maybe enemy raiders (or befriend them) and make it out alive with all yo...

You may not have heard of Dispatch but after this podcast you surely will wish you had. Dispatch is a new interactive narrative from former  Telltale Games devs about superheroes in a modern day office setting. It's one part Suicide Squad and one part The Office. AdHoc Studios shines in delivering animation that looks just like the best TV shows out there as well as some stellar writing and voice...

Note: We had audio issues with this podcast. You may hear a low buzzing sound. We had a card reader interfering with our camera and therefore the audio is not our normal quality. We will check more closely next time! --- Battlefield 6 is back! We are thrilled that Battlefield is back and that it seems to be delivering a quality experience out of the box. We're having a blast with multiplayer findi...

This week on The Inner Gamer , Brett and Jason share their first impressions of Ghost of Yōtei — the long-awaited follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima . You now play as Atsu , a warrior on a brutal quest for revenge against the Yōtei Six who murdered her family. The tone is darker, the world more open, and the storytelling more grounded. It’s a different kind of Ghost game, but so far, we’re loving the...

Borderlands 4 has finally arrived and with it we have the giant open world of Kairos to explore. Armed with 4 new vault hunters and a slew of missions, side quests and LOTS of guns we share what makes this game a huge step in the right direction. The open world is vast with plenty to do, the game has brought a ton of new traversal mechanics and the story is better and more grounded than BL3. Despi...

007 First Light had it's first gameplay reveal. This is the new Bond game from IO Interactive, the creators of Hitman. It's looking good in some areas and not so much in others. How will it turn out when it releases next year? Brett revisits some older games. He dives back into No Man's Sky Voyagers update with the new build-your-own Corvette's. It's an awesome update and No Man's Sky is a technic...

This week Austin is out for his birthday (happy birthday Austin) but Jason and Brett are here to dig into the games. We start with our first look of Mafia: The Old Country. This game takes us back to 1900's Sicily where the Italian mob got its start. You play Enzo working your way up in the family led by the Don  through the hills of beautiful Sicily. The story is great...but does the gameplay fol...

In this episode, we review the new game from Dreamhaven (former Blizzard devs) called Wildgate. It's a PvPvE shooter we're having a blast playing. You and 3 other players pilot a shop through The Reach with other ships in the battle with you. Find the artifact and take it through the Wildgate or destroy all the enemy ships. The moment to moment combat is fantastic and there's a lot of variety to g...

Nintendo is back in the conversation with a banger of a game with Donkey Kong Bananza. Exclusive to the Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the best platformers probably ever featuring fully destructible environments and dopamine hits with every smash of a rock you do. With Pauline by your side, venture down into Earth the planet's core through a variety of sublayers that represent different t...

We have a great episode this week featuring our first look at Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding 2. We dive into this beautiful world and explore the early hours of the strand game.  Brett dives into Sloclap's Rematch. These are the developers of Sifu entering into the competitive scene with a soccer game. It's a paid title with some solid mechanics, but is it enough to keep us engaged? We also review...