Ok, one more time…it’s been a while, huh?
Well, we are finally back with another Player’s Club! Last time we said there was a flood of games coming, and now we’ve pulled out heads above the water to talk about some of those games. And it’s not just Al and Emmett, they brought Graydon with them too!
This week Al talks about their time with The Outer Worlds 2 and Pokemon: Legends Z-A, Graydon talks about his time with Herdling, South of Midnight, and Superball, and Emmett talks about his time with Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion and Moros Protocol.
Timestamps:
00:00 Start
TOTS: Whatcha Playin 00:06:16:25
Herdling 00:06:42:06
Outer Worlds 2 00:24:29:24
South of Midnight 00:47:41:09
Superball 00:53:47:08
Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion 00:59:22:12
Pokemon Legends Z-A 01:18:07:22
Moros Protocol 01:40:17:16
Housekeeping 02:00:31:10
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the club!
This episode sees Al and Emmett return to run through everything they’ve been playing lately. As September starts, the great flood of fall gaming starts as well, so consider this the last check-in before we all drown in games. But there are plenty of non-sequiters too, like Emmett and Al arguing over who is more cancelable, speculating on what franchises Emmett should complete, and a question proposed to the audience about the future of the show. Tune in to find out what it is!
In the Whatcha Playin segment, Al talks about Dying Light, Critter Cove, Mafia: The Old Country, and Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game while Emmett talks about Call of Duty and Microsoft, Legend of Kay Anniversary, and Roger, and Delta Particles.
Timestamps:
Start 00:00
TOTS: Whatcha Playin 8:50
Call of Duty MW3 Fiasco 9:55
South of Midnight 20:03
Dying Light 35:47
Legend of Kay Anniversary 52:09
Critter Cove 1:02:08
and Roger 1:07:01
Mafia: The Old Country 1:15:58
Delta Particles 1:38:10
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game 1:54:40
Housekeeping 2:07:37
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Follow us on Bluesky, @vgu.bsky.social!
Welcome to the Indie Book Club!Each episode, we'll be playing some of our favorite indie games and discussing them with various VGU staff members, guests, and even listeners like you!While Graydon and Allan bank a couple Bastion episodes so they can finally get a real series going, Graydon and Emmett decided to get together and talk about 2024’s most polarizing game - Life is Strange: Double Exposure.Is it as bad as people say it is? Is it even worth playing? Is Amanda the greatest partner for Max Caulfield? All this and more on this very special (overdue) spoilercast of Deck Nine’s latest… achievement?Editor’s Note: This is the first explicit episode of the Indie Book Club. While we try to make all of them family-friendly and marked accordingly, this spoilercast needed to include swears, as it helped the overall chemistry flow. Seeing as Life is Strange covers some very mature themes, we deemed it okay to keep this one explicit.Also Graydon’s audio cuts out sometimes, so apologies for that glitch.If you have game requests, questions, or would like to jump in on an episode with us, please contact us:VGUGraydon@gmail.comOR@IBCVGU on TwitterAlso, make sure to follow our VGU Gaiden podcast feed! You can find us here:https://tinyurl.com/596y7ac4
Welcome back to the club!
This week, Al, Graydon, and Emmett are finally going to talk about what has been discussed on the show and hinted at all year…the updated standings in our Fantasy Critic league! We’re halfway through the year now, so let's see how Al, Josh, Graydon, and Emmett are doing so far. Who’s winning? What games have been drafted since the start of the year? Who’s most likely to take home the prize at the end of the year? Tune in and find out?
Plus, in the Whatcha Playin segment, Al finally talks about their time with the Switch 2 and games like Pokémon Scarlet Violet and Super Mario Odyssey. Also, Al talks about his time with Sleeping Dogs, and Emmett talks about his time with Darksiders Genesis and Star Overdrive.
Timestamps:
-Start 00:00
-TotS: Fantasy Critic Update 3:44
-Whatcha Playin (Switch 2) 1:01:46
-Sleeping Dogs 1:48:43
-Darksiders Genesis 1:58:16
-Star Overdrive 2:10:34
-Housekeeping 2:19:08
Housekeeping:
-Episode 5 - Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (2024) | O Say Can UC? A Beginner's Guide to Gundam
-Edge of Sanity | VGU Test Drive
-Star Overdrive Review (& My Problem with Open World Games) - VGU.TV
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Follow us on Bluesky, @vgu.bsky.social!
Welcome back to the club!
There are…a lot of reasons to feel overwhelmed right now. Probably least of which is the boatload of demos that were available during this summer’s Steam Next Fest. With over 2000 demos, it can be hard to know which games are worth being hype for, but that’s why you’re here! This week, Jesse Guarascia and Dominic Tarason join the show to discuss the overwhelming nature of Steam Next Fest and point out some of our favorite games from the show. We have musical brawlers, turn-based dice games, and cursed antiques, so listen and fill that wishlist!
Also, in the Whatcha Playin? Segment, Dominic talks about his time with Broken Arrow and The Hundred Line, Jessie talks about his time with The Alters, and Emmett talks about his time with Jump the Track and Resistance: Fall of Man.
Timestamps:
-Start: 00:00
-TotS: Steam Next Fest June 2025 2:28
-Dice Gambit 12:10
-Strange Antiquities 20:29
-Dead as Disco 28:45
-Absolum 38:01
-Consume Me 51:36
-Usual June 59:26
-Jail Dice 1:08:00
-Letters to Arralla 1:17:07
-Gear Grit 1:21:19
-Whatcha Playin? 1:27:58
-The Alters 1:28:26
-Broken Arrow 1:36:25
-The Hundred Line 1:42:59
-Jump the Track 1:51:14
-Resistance: Fall of Man 1:54:52
-Housekeeping 1:59:52
Housekeeping:
-The Allure of the MomoCon Courtyard
-Emmett Plays Resistance: Fall of Man Part 1
-30 for 30 Platinum Marathon Stream P1: My Name is Mayo 3, Shadow Warrior 3, and more!
-how does an indie game get made?
-4 Fantastic Steam Games with Fewer than 100 Reviews
-[Free games spreadsheet, Dom's]
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to a rare Fireside Chat episode of Player’s Club!
This episode, Emmett solos to talk all about the overwhelming amount of video game showcases that have happened in the last few days. From Summer Game Fest and the Woman Led Game Showcase, to the Future Game Show and the Mix Summer Showcase. Plus, he also talks at length about the Splitgate 2 controversy, all of the tomfoolery going on that makes it hard to celebrate games right now, and he even discovers some cool new games in the middle of the show!
Plus, in the Whatcha Playin segment, Emmett talks about Splitgate 2’s Battle Royale mode and Terminator: Resistance.
Timecodes:
Start 00:00
TOTS: Summer Game Fest was a MESS 4:18
Summer Game Fest Showcase 10:48
The Splitgate 2 Tomfoolery 17:08
Day of the Devs 32:26
More Showcases 36:12
Woman Led Games Showcase 36:50
The Mix Summer Games Showcase 40:52
Wholesome Games Direct 44:46
Future Games Showcase 46:42
PC Gaming Showcase 51:24
Frosty Games Showcase 1:00:39
Xbox Showcase 1:01:53:00
Showcases Suck, but we need em? 1:09:38
WHERE IS SHE DREAMS ELSEWHERE? 1:12:45
Too Much Going On rn 1:15:31
Final SGF Thoughts 1:25:00
Reach 1:25:30
Love Eternal 1:27:04
Whatcha Playin 1:31:56
Terminator: Resistance 1:32:32
Splitgate 2 Battle Royale 1:44:28
Housekeeping 1:51:02
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Follow us on Bluesky, @vgu.bsky.social!
Welcome back to the Club!
This week, Graydon joins Al and Emmett to talk about the best games of PAX East 2025. Graydon saw a lot of cool indies, and at least one exciting AAA game as well, and he spends the entire episode telling us all about them. Plus, we talk about the Giant Bomb revival and get into some other random shenanigans as well. Tune in to hear all about them all!
Timestamps:
TOTS: PAX East 2025 6:47
Desktop Survivors 98 20:41
In Full Bloom 33:10
Fresh Tracks 40:11
Nocturne 46:38
Airframe Ultra 51:17
Overpower 1:02:32
RIP Giant Bomb (Long Live Giant Bomb) 1:06:11
Fighter's Forge 1:23:59
Militsioner 1:25:44
Crimson Desert 1:28:01
What's Next? 1:35:05
Gori Cuddly Carnage Shoutout?!?!? 1:40:57
What games did Al buy? 1:43:05
Housekeeping 1:48:39
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the Club!
This time, Emmett and Al are talking about how to keep gaming at the end of the world. We’re on the verge of massive tariffs causing price hikes all over gaming, and we're amid a Boycott against Microsoft. Both of these things restrict what we’re able to play, but this episode will discuss a few ways to keep playing through everything that’s going on right now.
Al talks about their time with Greedfall and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Emmett talks about his time with God of War Ragnarok Valhalla and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
Timestamps:
Start: 00:00
TotS: Tariff Price Hikes 10:59
Microsoft Boycott talk 27:01
Emulation & Classic Games 32:25
The PC Echosystem 1:00:25
Focusing on your Backlog 1:20:03
Whatcha Playin? 1:48:56
God of War Ragnarok Valhalla 1:52:16
Greedfall 1:58:36
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance 2:09:24
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2:18:38
Housekeeping 2:31:18
Housekeeping:
Welcome back to the club!
Been a lil while, but Allan Muir and Emmett Watkins Jr have returned to talk about what they’ve been playing the last few weeks, as well as the final Nintendo Direct for the Switch 1. Did this Directg finally convince Emmett that the Swtich 1 isn’t mid? Did they announce any features we could look forward to in the upcoming Switch 2? Did anyone on the show purchase a different new handheld recently and fall so madly in love with it that they may never touch their Switch again? Who knows? Find out on this episode of The Player’s Club Podcast!
Also, in this episode, Al talks about their time with Fallout New Vegas, Atomfall, and Avowed, while Emmett talks about his time with the ROG Ally X, Sniper Eliete V2, and The Finals.
Timestamps:
Start 00:00
ROG Ally X Impressions 5:49
Atomfall 26:20
Sniper Elite V2 49:16
Fallout New Vegas 1:07:08
The Finals 1:25:16
Avowed 1:41:32
Final Switch 1 Nintendo Direct Thoughts 2:03:17
Housekeeping 2:26:49
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the Club!
Hope you enjoyed the GotY podcasts because the proper show is back on! Emmett is back with Al and Graydon, and we are all looking forward to the new year of 2025 and asking…Is Gaming Cooked? Everyone has their hopes resting in the games of Grand Theft Auto VI and Switch 2, but will they be enough to stop layoffs and corporate greed running rampant in the games industry? We’ll ask that and more in this week's episode.
In the Watcha Playin segment, Emmett talks about his time with Eternal Strands and Alien Rage, Al talks about their time with Avowed and Halo: The Master Cheif Collection, and Graydon talks about his time with Epic Mickey.
Timestamps
Start 00:00
TotS: Is Gaming Cooked? 11:12
Sony in 2025 (State of Play Recap) 11:41
Nintendo (Switch 2) 54:27
Microsoft (Xbox AI) 1:14:00
Games Were Looking forward to in 2025 1:40:07
Al Bought Too Many Games Again (ft. Josh Miller) 1:57:46
Whatcha Playin? 2:10:28
Eternal Strands 2:10:38
Alien Rage 2:17:46
Avowed 2:20:56
Halo: The Master Chief Collection 2:37:54
Epic Mickey 2:43:40
Housekeeping 2:56:49
Housekeeping:
Episode 2 - Mobile Suit Gundam III (1982) | O Say Can UC? A Beginner's Guide to Gundam - VGU.TV
Episode 1 - Mobile Suit Gundam I & II (1981) | O Say Can UC? A Beginner's Guide to Gundam - VGU.TV
Episode 3 - Char’s Counterattack (‘88) & Hathaway (‘21) | O Say Can UC? A Beginner's Guide to Gundam
Welcome to the Thing: We recorded this before the Super Bowl
Ludocene: Game Discovery From People You Trust by Andy Robertson — Kickstarter
Xbox Pushes Ahead With Muse, a New Generative AI Model. Devs Say ‘Nobody Will Want This’ | WIRED
How Halo: CE Convinced Me to Start Collecting Retro Physical Media Again
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the club, for the first time in 2025!
That’s right, we’re back after taking January off. Well, that’s not quite true, because that entire time we’ve been recording these Game of The Year deliberations! This is part four, the final one!, where Graydon, Al, Josh, and Emmett discuss the following categories:
Best Soundtrack
Games as a Helping Hand
Best Moment
GAME OF THE YEAR
We also give an update on our ongoing Fantasy Critic battle!
Timestamps
Start 00:00
Best Soundtrack 5:26
Games as a Helping Hand 47:39
Best Moment (SPOILERS) 1:06:24
GAME OF THE YEAR 2024 2:18:25
Fantasy Critic Update! 2:43:11
Housekeeping:
Check out our YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the club, for the first time in 2025!
That’s right, we’re back after taking January off. Well, that’s not quite true, because that entire time we’ve been recording these Game of The Year deliberations! This is part three, where Graydon, Al, Josh, and Emmett discuss the following categories:
Best Character
Most Fun
Best Debut
Most Wholesome
Better Together
Timestamps
Start: 00:00
Best Character 5:55
Most Fun 36:09
Best Debut 47:28
Most Wholesome 1:12:52
Better Together 1:37:00
Housekeeping:
Check out our YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the club, for the first time in 2025!
That’s right, we’re back after taking January off. Well, that’s not quite true, because that entire time we’ve been recording these Game of The Year deliberations! This is part two, where Graydon, Al, Josh, and Emmett discuss the following categories:
Best DLC/Expansion (new content for old/current game)
Best Re-Release (Remakes, Remasters, or Glorified Ports)
Best Narrative
Best Performance
Best Ensemble Cast
Timestamps
Start 00:00
Best DLC/Expansion 6:05
Best Re-Release 21:40
Best Narrative 52:12
Best Performance 1:31:19
Best Ensemble Cast 2:00:45
Housekeeping:
Check out our YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the club, for the first time in 2025!
That’s right, we’re back after taking January off. Well, that’s not quite true, because that entire time we’ve been recording these Game of The Year deliberations! This is part one, where Graydon, Al, Josh, and Emmett discuss the following categories:
What Took So Long? (Older games we played in 2024)
Biggest Gaming News
Seitguest of the Year (game with the most buzz and activity in 2024)
Biggest Fumble (most disappointing game)
Best Look (for excellence in visual design and style)
Timestamps
Start 00:00
What Took You So Long? 6:40
Biggest Gaming News 48:03
Zeitgeist of the Year 1:13:14
Biggest Fumble 1:30:05
Best Look 2:03:55
Housekeeping:
Check out our YouTube Channel here!
You ready for this, Playa?
Welcome back to the club! This week, Al , Emmett , Graydon and Josh converge to celebrate the great Episode 150!
Not only are we together for this joyous occasion, but we're about to draft our teams for the Fantasy Critic showdown of 2025! Join us as we dive into the world of sports betting and plan our epic battle for the year to come!
Timestamps
Start 0:00
TOTS: 2025 Fantasy Critic! 7:37
Round 1 22:36
Round 2 33:18
Round 3 41:34
Round 4 55:43
Round 5 1:05:22
Counter Picks P1 1:25:08
Counter Picks P2 1:30:59
Episode150 Reminiscing and VGU's Future! 1:48:35
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
The following is a special presentation courtesy of VGU Gaiden: A Retrospective Podcast.
You can find their podcast feed here: https://tinyurl.com/ycynku3x
Welcome to VGU Gaiden!
Hosted by Graydon Webb and DJ Risio, this retrospective film podcast follows two best friends as they share their favorite films with each other and revisit what makes them special (or in some cases, really weird).
As always, SPOILERS AHEAD!
You can find us on BlueSky:
Graydon - https://bsky.app/profile/graytlo777.bsky.social
DJ - https://bsky.app/profile/lordsweepy.bsky.social
VGU Gaiden - https://bsky.app/profile/vgugaiden.bsky.social
and follow the other VGU Podcast Feed: https://tinyurl.com/363zdxz6
Thank you so much for listening!
Please rate the podcast, subscribe, and share it around!
All audio belongs to Nippon Sunrise and Yoshiyuki Tomino.
All music credit goes to Takeo Watanabe and Yūshi Matsuyama.
We do not own these rights.
You ready for this, Playa?
Welcome back to the club! This week, Al and Emmett are Joined by Graydon to predict the winners for (most of) the categories for The Game Awards! Will Nintendo finally lose the Best Family Game Award? Why didn’t Dragon Age get nominated for best RPG? Which one of the hosts would now like to be referred to as The Big Sexy? We discuss all of these questions and more in this mega-sized episode of the podcast!
Timestamps:
Start: 00:00
TotS: Game Awards Predictions 8:48
Most Anticipated 15:37
Best Adaptation 22:22
Best Multiplayer 30:45
Best Sports/Racing 38:44
Best Sim/Strategy 47:16
Best Family 53:38
Best Fighting Game 1:07:40
Best RPG 1:15:06
Best Action/Adventure 1:22:53
Best Action Game 1:32:02
Best VR/AR 1:37:17
Best Mobile Game 1:47:27
Best Debut Indie 2:02:07
Best Independent Game 2:07:42
Best Community Support 2:11:38
Best Ongoing Game 2:16:40
Games for Impact 2:21:46
Innovation in Accessibility 2:30:05
Best Performance 2:34:54
Best Audio Design 2:42:25
Best Score & Music 2:45:23
Best Art Direction 2:47:52
Best Narrative 2:49:26
Best Game Direction 2:54:52
Game of the Year 2:58:27
Housekeeping 3:07:41
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Note: Emmett’s audio this episode is a bit rough, though still audible. We’ll tweak settings for next time but bear with us for this episode!
You ready for this, playa?
Welcome back to the club! In this episode, Allan Muir returns to join Emmett Watkins Jr. in discussing the games that will get us through the current political moment. Look, Trump won, and we have a lot of work to do to survive and take care of each other as he returns to power. Playing games won’t directly change anything, but the art we embrace does help us view the world differently. Here are a few games that engage with the moment we're in, or even allow us to disengage from it for a while. And hey, maybe you’ll even get a few novel recommendations as well!
Also, in the Whatcha Playin segment, Al talks about their time with Dragon Age Veilgaurd while Emmett talks about his time with El Paso Elsewhere and Coffee Rush.
Timestamps:
Start 00:00
TotS: Games That'll Get You Through the Political Moment 29:03
Fallout Series (not Brotherhood of Steel or Shelter) 30:46
Metaphor Refantazio/1000XResist 53:36
Dragon Age Series 1:01:45
Red Dead Redemption II 1:15:26
Simulator Games 1:20:51
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess 1:30:26
Novels to Read 1:40:09
Whatcha Playin? 1:47:52
Dragon Age Veilgaurd 1:48:28
El Paso Elsewhere 2:04:06
Coffee Rush 2:12:04
Housekeeping 2:19:06
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Welcome back to the Club!
This week, it’s a solo, fireside chat with no one else but Emmett Watkins Jr. Enjoy his dulcet tones as he goes on about the death of Firewalk studios in the main topic of the show. He’ll definitely take that opportunity to be upset about capitalism.
Also, in a heafty Whatcha Playin segment, Emmett talks at length about his time with the multiplayer and campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Is it the best entry in the series in years? Well, listen to his thoughts and find out if it is! He also talks a bit about his time with Earth Defense Force 6 and Alien Breed: Impact.
Timestamps
Start 00:00
Topic of the Show: RIP Firewalk Studios 9:12
Whatcha Playin? 38:21
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 38:57
Earth Defense Force 6 1:09:08
Alien Breed: Impact 1:14:13
Housekeeping 1:26:13
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Follow us on Twitter @VGU_TV!
You ready for this, playa?
Welcome back the the Player’s Club! We find our selves once again in the midsts of a Steam Next fest, so Graydon and Emmett reunite to talk about a few of our favorate demos we’ve tried so far. Every wanted to play Portal as an arena shooter? Ever wanted a detextive games with moments of Outlast-style terror? Wanna know how the follow up to Dead Cells is? Tune in and we’ll adress all of these questions.
In the Watcha Playin segment, Graydon talks about his time with Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, Dustborn, and It Takes Two while Emmett talks about his time with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Metaphor: Refantazio, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II.
Timestamps
Start 00:00
Topic of the Show: Steam Next Fest Oct 2024 20:31
Stickman Adventure 24:39
The Outreach 39:06
An Unfinished Game 49:41
Captian Blood 56:25
Unreachable 1:11:29
Windblown 1:21:08
Liminal Core 1:30:15
Other Next Fest Shout Outs 1:41:07
Watcha Playin 1:47:24
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine II 1:47:32
It Takes Two 1:48:38
Metaphor: ReFantazio 1:51:23
Dustborn 2:03:37
Alan Wake: American Nightmare 2:04:06
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered 2:19:28
Housekeeping 2:26:46
Housekeeping:
Check out YouTube Channel here!
Follow us on Twitter @VGU_TV!