Why You Should Play

How in the world does Nintendo decide to collab with Ubisoft and allow their revered characters and universe to join... Rabbids? And it's for turn-based tactics games that are both great? And Ubisoft discovered how to do escort missions well? All that and more in this latest episode. It's good to be back. Find WYSP on: ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠X

A couple buds and I wanted to yap for a couple hours about the roller coaster ride of an action game that is Romeo Is A Dead Man , the latest punk piece of insanity from Grasshopper Manufacture led by the eclectic Goichi Suda. I'm planning on doing more Little WYSPer content, including video-exclusive material so please subscribe to my YouTube ! Socials: YouTube Twitch Twitter/X Bluesky

For its 25th anniversary, a couple buds and I reminisced about the legendary piece of hardware and accompanying game library that is the PS2. Over a few small beers, of course.

Welcome to the debut episode of Little WYSPer! Once in a while a game comes along and doesn't just meet expectations but absolutely smashes them. Such is the case with the exquisite Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It's a truly special experience that left me thinking about it days and weeks after I finished it. That amount of time pondering left me with much to discuss, which is why I had to recruit...

With the release of the successor to the Nintendo Switch, my dear friend Sean Mason and I wanted to run through the very underappreciated Nintendo Switch Online library to provide our dear listeners with some more under-the-radar picks. What's a must-play? What are other recommendations? Moreover, what's a game we'd like to see be added to the service? We answer all those for each platform - along...

The first mainline episode of the year returns to where it all began: with my true dear friend Sean Mason to wax poetically about Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling, a Paper Mario homage he holds in such high regard as among his top 10 games of all time. Mr. Mason provides an academic lecture on its similarities and differences to the Paper Mario franchise. We then discuss the dynamic turn-based-...

(Apologies for the lower quality audio, I had to extract from the existing video export!) It's time once again to bring forth a group of my wonderful friends who chose games they thought were underrated or went underappreciated during another wonderful year of gaming that is 2024!Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this video and to all who watch and/or listen! This show wouldn'...

As we fast approach PlayStation's 35th Anniversary, it was time to reunite with my friend, the awesome Radec ‬ . Together, we gush about Puppeteer: one of the most uniquely imaginative pieces of the publisher's history - from the sadly now defunct Japan Studio. We discuss how it perfectly marries Japanese folklore and British sensibilities, while also elevating the traditional 2D platformer genre...

As we approach its 10th anniversary, my guest and I discuss the aspects of Transistor that have made it age like a fine wine: it's gorgeous character and environmental art design - as well as its dynamic, versatile and supremely satisfying combat - all contained within a world that has suffered an apocalyptic event but never succumbs to the usual drab and dour trappings of many others in the g...

NOTE: THIS EPISODE WAS RECORDED BEFORE SABER INTERACTIVE CONFIRMED THAT THE REMAKE IS "ALIVE AND WELL". It was my immense honor, privilege, and blessing to be joined by MrMattyPlays to gush about the often far too maligned brilliance of Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. We discuss how it complements its predecessor in the locations it visits and even revisits, the themes it...

*** AUDIO VERSION OF YOUTUBE VIDEO *** It's been an eventful year in the games industry. From the many great releases to some that were not so great, all amidst a slew of layoffs, closures, leaks and hacks. Taking a step back: I wanted to do something in the spirit of the podcast. This episode serves to highlight a collection of games which released this past year that my friends and I felt ne...

I collected all the Happy Points chatting about one of my biggest gaming surprises of the past few years, where you play as a tiny robot tasked with cleaning up both an entire house - and its occupants relationships! Plug into the adventure that is us spreading the happiness of this game's surprisingly rewarding gameplay loop, rich world, and eclectic cast of characters - and we explore the ma...

For the season of horror, I decided to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the release of the mesmerizing modern masterpiece of survival horror that is Signalis. My guests and I discuss why this game is so much more than just an amazing amalgamation of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, how it not only pulls from the best of those two revered franchises but stands on its own to be something truly tran...

In another celebration of the release of Sabotage Studios' Sea Of Stars, we went back to their debut effort: The Messenger. My guest and I discuss how this complete package of a game - the gameplay, the art, the music, the writing - and, yes, even the story - produce something I consider one of the best gaming experiences I've had in the past few years. Furthermore, this sensational debut...

I decided it was mandatory that I do the other bookend game of the Ueda / Team Ico trilogy and - for this somewhat divisive but extraordinary work of interactive art - I was blessed enough to have on one of its biggest fans. Dustin Furman (Executive Producer of Last Stand Media) joins me to discuss why The Last Guardian - like its astonishing and iconic creation Trico - can be somewhat frustrating...

On this episode: I brought on the mercurial talent known as Radec to discuss Ico, the first game from Team Ico led by auteur Fumito Ueda. We discuss how the limits of the PS2 hardware and its minimalist art style did not stop Ico from being ahead of its time to influence many of today's prominent developers due to its brilliant design of a single interconnected 3D space that still holds up 2 d...

With the release of Sabotage Studios' Sea Of Stars looming, it was appropriate to look back upon what inspired it: Chrono Trigger. To have a discussion about such a pinnacle of JRPGs it required multiple guests, so I brought on 2 of the co-hosts of the wonderful Backlog Brainrot podcast to talk about why this game is so beloved, why it was so revolutionary, and - no - it really doesn't nee...

For this episode full of delicious cheese and cigarettes I was honored to be joined by Ben Smith, Associate Editor of Last Stand Media. We gush about why Vanquish is an over-the-top high-octane - but mostly overlooked - sparkling gem of a third-person shooter. It serves as a reminder of the times when video games didn't overstay their welcome, why PlatinumGames is so revered, and why Shinji Mi...

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get so much enjoyment out of a pair of games involving a immature idiotic sociopath of a protagonist wielding a variety of ripoff lightsabers who performs a myriad of whacky side jobs, all oftentimes involving varying degrees of horny. Also you should do all of this while utilizing motion controls (did I mention this game is horny?) Thankfully I have...

For this episode, my buddy Cole (aka CompulsiveNerd) and myself gushed about the now revered developer Supergiant's debut effort, Bastion. We not only lauded how exceptional it is for an indie developer's maiden voyage, but also how much it informed their most recent release Hades, the game that would launch them into the stratosphere. Intro: "A Proper Story" - composed by Darren...

For the debut episode, there was little doubt who the guest would be. The only challenge would be what game. As it happens, it ended up being two games which I can't believe getting around to playing had taken me so long. Please enjoy my discussion of the wonderful pair of Axiom Verge games with everyone's friend Sean. Music The Axiom · Thomas Happ Axiom Verge (Original Soundtrack) ℗ 2015...

A quick blurb about what this new adventure is all about.