Under Consoletation: The Video Game Television Podcast

From the depths of the satellite station .tv, it's Trevor and Simon, and Simons Mum who are inviting us to the GAMES REPUBLIC. Ash and Cliff have their fact checking hats on, which is more than could be said for the quizmasters of this show. Why is the show set in Egypt? How exactly can that be Simons Mum? Why does Johnny Ffinch leave this off his resume? Some or none of these questions may be ans...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the podcast, Ash and Cliff round out the month with a chat about the 1975 film that defined what a Summer Blockbuster could be: JAWS. CONTENT WARNING: As with all our commentaries, this episode is uncensored on all feeds. Film start point is 17mins 09secs for the fade into the Universal logo. Tested with VOD and Bluray for sync points. Theme song by...

Ash & Cliff delve deep into their pockets in search of a multiball as they dive into a bumper crop of games from the Nintendo Gameboy family of handhelds. From the OG to the SP, we're looking at 4 pinball games that put those magnificent marble machines in the palm of your hand. Spoiler: 3 out of the 4 games are excellent, and all from the same base developer. One isn't, and it really shows. T...

This episode was originally released October 4th 2022, when we were in the middle of season 6 of GamesMaster. As it is the 4th of July, it seemed like a good time to share on the new feed one of my favourite side quests of the original UCP run, and one of my favourite interviews as I got to talk with a legend in the audio sphere: Dirk Maggs. (( BEST EXPERIENCED IN STEREO )) Luke & Ash skip bac...

We may have broken the time machine with this one, as we've crashed into a MAGNIFICENT MARBLE MACHINE all the way back in 1975. Pinball is King, Bobbi is looking to knock Gary off of his mountain, and Cliff and Ash are battling to keep Jasper Carrot out of the studio. Watch the episode of The Magnificent Marble Machine HERE Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletation on BlueSky Follow Und...

Time to finger your way through another magazine Focus as Ash & Cliff dip into a mainstay of british gaming C&VG at a time when they (along with the gaming industry) are going through changes. Featuring: Barbarians, Robot Policemen, horror movies, strategic wrestling games, camels, Irritated people in Cornwall, Alex Kidd... AND GROTBAGS! Read the magazine HERE Watch R.O.T.O.R. HERE Theme s...

It's back to school for Ash and Cliff as they apply Savlon to scuffed knees whilst watching an episode of First Class. In a show that highlights that blindspots in geography are more than compensated for by skateboarding and athletic videogames, we dodge copyright strikes, awful people appearing in questions, and vicious otters. Watch the episode of First Class HERE Theme song by Other Chris Follo...

Ash and Cliff discuss a game that scored a first place knock out, it's Rock 'N' Roll Racing, from Silicon and Synapse, aka, Blizzard. We look at the history of the game, and its deep origins going back to a series of games that began on the Apple II. Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletation on BlueSky Follow Under Consoletation on Twitter Follow Under Consoletation on Instagram Send yo...

Ash and Cliff take a trip to Australia in 1994 for THE ZONE. There's Rock n Roll Racing, THE ZONE, Young Merlin, THE ZONE, Project Neptune, THE ZONE, Mutant League Hockey, THE ZONE, an utterly ridiculous Clayfighter competiton, THE ZONE, and more... all on THE ZONE. THE ZONE. Watch the episode HERE Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletation on BlueSky Follow Under Consoletation on Twitte...

** CAUTION: THIS EPISODE IS DELIBERATELY LEFT UNCENSORED ** The day has arrived and Cliff can't escape! It's time to sit down with Ash and watch The Battle for Endor, the second Ewok movie from 1985! Before the main event he gets a lesson in the history of the furry little beggars, and how they got from Jedi to this. Then it's on to the main event, and a feature length commentary you can listen al...

Ash and Cliff look at the magazine this months core episode was stuck to the front of with the debut issue of the son of Super Play: N64 Magazine! 90s console tribalism is at an all time high and the issue captures the highs and the lows of this period of N64 gaming. Plus: Cliff plays Mastermind, whether he wants to or not. Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletation on BlueSky Follow Und...

N64Life is t-t-t-t-t-taking over! Before Cliff meets his little furry makers in May, N64Life is taking over with a cluster of episodes based around 64-bit console entry. To kick off the month we're looking at the promotional VHS tape that came with the first issue of Super Plays' spiritual successor N64 Magazine. Cliff is overjoyed at this turn of events, Ash is regretting it before the record but...

Last month we dove deep on the hardware of the SG-1000, and this month a lot of the games sound like they'd go deep on us.... who thought Dragon Wang was a good idea? It's the SG-1000 Games Library! Ash and Cliff look at 5 select titles covering multiple years of the of the consoles run, and encounter some notable firsts and influential titles along the way. Also: Wang. Theme song by Other Chris F...

The Listeners have spoken, the votes have been tabulated, and now Ash & Cliff will run down the top 4 in each category before revealing the overall winners. This stream has been specifically scheduled so it doesn't sit in the shadow of any other awards ceremonies that may be occurring in this timeframe. It's fine. (( CAUTION: This episode is not censored. Naughty words are left in )) Watch the...

It's time for the climax of GameCenter CX's 10th Anniversary season with part two of Arino taking on Nosferatu! Ash and Cliff rejoin Arino after a few weeks as he shakes off some game-rust and proceeds to make all the same mistakes he did last time. Even if he makes it to the end, will the game have a satisfying pay off? There's also claw machines, punching games, and one final look at Sega's SG-1...

For this months focus we go back to the beginnings of Sega in the home market: The SG-1000! And the SC-3000! And it's a lot like the Colecovision! Ash and Cliff dive into a story full of misdirection, misreporting, and occasionally legitimate Japanese businessmen. Also: Sound Effects. Take the UCP Listener Awards Survey HERE Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletation on BlueSky Follow Un...

It's the finale of GameCenter CX's 10th Anniversary season, and they're ending on a two parter! Ash and Cliff join Arino as he tackles Nosferatu for the Super Famicom, a game he knows nothing about but which seems strangely familiar. There's also fresh seafood, pensioners with zero sense of personal space, and Cliff gets a new favourite song. Watch the episode here: GameCenter CX: Episode 175 Take...

It's another magazine focus episode, as we take a look at the January 1984 edition of Electronic Fun with Computers and Games. Ash chats early videogame nasties, Cliff juggles carts, and after a brief moment of Muppetry they settle into the core of the episode: The Arcades of London! Read the magazine HERE Take the UCP Listener Awards Survey HERE Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletatio...

An old friend returns to UCP with Starcade from 1984, although this time there's a new host who actually gives a toss about the games being played! Promotional consideration has not been paid for by any of the companies in this episode of Starcade, but that doesn't matter because Ash & Cliff will talk about them anyway! Also, there are games! Xevious! Millipede! Wacko! More Wacko! Also... Wack...

The year has been and gone, and so to start off 2025 we're looking at the past 12 months, recapping the episodes we did and then throwing it over to you, our listeners so you can tell us what you thought with our first ever Listener Awards! Take the Survey HERE Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletation on BlueSky Follow Under Consoletation on Twitter Follow Under Consoletation on Instag...

Ash and Cliff step up to the Oche for a super, smashing, great time with the 1992 Bullseye Christmas Special. Jim's got special lips, Tony Green has an ego, and all of the special guests are on the lash. But it's fine, it's all for CHARITY! Watch the Bullseye Christmas Special Part 1 Watch the Bullseye Christmas Special Part 2 Support Dominik Diamonds Little Old Purple Column   Theme song by...

It's off to the land of Abba, Ikea and other less stereotypical things as your hosts visit Sweden in December 1992! Ash learns all about Nintendo in in the Nordics with the story of Bergsala from his old friend Andy (aka Tamagon64) whilst Cliff flopps on some meatballs. Then Cliff and Ash listen to frustrated teenagers try to play Street Fighter 2 with touch tone phones. It goes about as well as y...

Lets talk about MSX baby, let's talk about Z80, let's talk about all the good ports and the bad ports that may be, let's talk about MSX as Cliff and Ash look at the Japanese standard that almost could, and sometimes did, but then didn't, and still even now, 40 years later will not die. We also highlight some of our favourite games we've played, and reveal the ultimate Pac-man clone! Find out more...

It's November 1984! Thatcher! Coal Miner Strikes! Band Aid on the Horizon! And the BBC is doing a new tv show about 'computers'. They'll never catch on. Ash and Cliff settle down for the second episode of 'Micro Live', where we see the new MSX computer range, a man purchases a computer in Croydon, Lesley is obsessed with people damaging their floppies, and a con-man talks to us about American tele...

Happy Halloween! Your last podcast for October is here, and what better way to celebrate Halloween, than by watching an episode of Sonic the Hedgehog  which is chock full of annoying characters and offensive French stereotypes. SpoooOoOoOOoky. Watch the episode of Sonic the Hedgehog HERE Join the conversation on Discord ! Theme song by Other Chris Follow Under Consoletation on Twitter Follow...