Objective
Definition: Factual, verifiable information that is not influenced by personal feelings or bias.
Subjective
Definition: Based on an individual's perspective, feelings, or opinions.
Which of the above definitions best describe our podcast and why do we bring this up? Well... it's time for one of THOSE kind of reviews. You know, the reviews where we provide highly subjective opinions sitting slightly, erm, 'adjacent' to the realm of popular judgement? Yeah, one of those...
Firstly, after an inauspicious start to proceedings, we blast our way through a review of Infected (2005, PSP), a zombie, dual gun shooter game as brain dead as its undying antagonists. A PSP exclusive that is completely ridiculous and overblown? No wonder Fazz's synaptic nerves are tingling.
From there, it's onto the main cour(p)se as Rich feasts upon the Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019, PS4). One of the most influential, stellar video games of all time received a remake in 2019, which in turn was heralded by all as a triumphant reimagining of a classic. So why is Living La Vita Loca not necessarily loco for Leon or in cahoots with Claire? We KNOW it's a great game but why is it not a great game for us?
You'll have to make it past one of the most brainless introductions in podcast history to find out... mmm 'brains'...
Enjoy the pod.
Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly, where each co-host chooses a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our pod partner. We both play through the aforementioned game and then ask our co-host to score the game out of 10, based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!
The games we've picked out for random review this week are:
• Ghostwire: Tokyo (2022, PS5)
• Firewatch (2016, Xbox Series)
If you enjoy spending time finger blasting demons (careful now...) or critiquing the work of 'Fire Lookout' heroes then this is the episode for you!
Enjoy the pod.
Your favourite two muppets are back together for the first time in a while as Rich returns from his Japanese jaunt. This is handy as this weeks episode of Living La Vita Loca Podcast is sponsored by the letter 'E'! (Yes, Sesame Street is officially considered to be part of The Muppets)
Why are we sponsored by 'E' you most definitely ask us? Well, we've gone with a theme this week. We've managed to pull together three puzzle games, where the ultimate aim is to escape, and they all begin with the letter 'E'. (It was rather easy, economical and effortless weirdly.)
Something scary must have happened to Rich on the Japanese subway because he's decided to review an unsettling adventure video game all about... being stuck in the Japanese subway. The Exit 8 (2023, PC) is a bit of a cultural phenomenon in Japan and has already spawned a successful movie adaptation. Can you escape its gravitational pull?
Slightly less terrifying but no less perplexing, Fazz opts to prattle on about a pair of PSP puzzlers. Exit (2005, PSP) and Echochrome (2008, PSP) were both well regarded on release and have probably had their fair share of play time on the Japanese transport system in the past. Can they escape the ire of our drab scoring system and leave Fazz ecstatic?
Embrace the E on this edition of Living La VEEta Loca Podcast.
Question: How do you get a guest onto your bang average video gaming podcast? You Pok-em-on! Geddit? Ahhhhh, you guys get it.
Anyway... we have a Wailord-sized conversation for you this episode. It's a little unfortunate that Fazz sounds like he's gone swimming with Magikarp but luckily we have @swiss_stadia (Paddy Gunn) filling in on co-hosting duties this week and he sounds better than a Jigglypuff's lullaby.
After a quick reintroduction to Paddy's love for Swiss football stadia, we wind our way down to the Pokemon Stadium (N64) via memory lane. How functional is a game in 2025 that is so intrinsically linked with the late 90's? We dive into Nintendo Switch Online to find out.
We also discuss what makes (made?) Pokemon video games so special, for so many people, for such a long time and if they still sparkle like a shiny holo Charizard in today's gaming amphitheatre?
We round things out with our personal favourite Pokemon team draft. Who are we imprisoning in a tiny ball and stuffing into our back pockets first? And why is it definitely not Mr Mime, you weird, strange little freak...
Enjoy the pod.
"The power of love is a curious thing. Makes one man weep, makes another man... invite his reluctant wife onto an amateur video gaming podcast to cover for a week whilst his usual podcast partner is away." Everybody knows thats how the song goes right?
Huey Lewis and the News owe 'Back to the Future' a lot. Around these parts, We think we ALL owe 'Back to the Future' a lot. As far as Fazz is concerned, he thinks it may be directly related to the actual conception of his couch partner whilst for many others, it's possibly one of the best movies ever created.
40 years after the original movie's release, we take a fond look back at Marty trying to, well, get Back. But what of its sequels? (And yes, we're including Back to the Future: The Game in that bucket too). How does the rest of the franchise fare comparatively to BTTF?
Fast forward through time to 2010 and Telltale Games and Universal Studios felt there was more to give fans of the series via a 3D adventure story game. Were they right to risk the whole damn space time continuum to bring us a new installment of Back to the Future?
Let us take you away in (Po)Delorean and we can find out together. We promise you that we'll get you Back in Time.
Enjoy the pod. Buttheads.
With Rich away for a little while, Fazz has decided to invite a few of his best buddies out for a night on the town in Leeds. Welcome back to LLVL podcast @c.t.baird & @hefferinaaron!
Ahhhhh who doesn't love to go clubbing at a weekend? These three late 30's year olds, thats who! Well, there actually is one club in town where we feel welcome on a Saturday night... Arcade Club! (www.arcadeclub.co.uk)
The original Arcade Club was opened in an old mill in Bury in 2015 and has gone from strength to strength opening sites in Leeds and Blackpool in recent years. We are regular visitors to the Leeds branch, just a few miles from our house and its definitely helped inspire our podcast over the years.
We cannot recommend visiting enough so we thought we should give it a thorough review and a score on our coveted spreadsheet!
This podcast was recorded on a warm but windy night in May 2025, in a local beer garden immediately after a visit to Arcade Club. Expect insightful conversations about learning Japanese through clay pigeon shooting and potential emergency service callouts caused by bottles of cider.
Enjoy the pod.
Hi Podfans
Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly where we both pick a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our co-host. We then review said game on the podcast and ask our co-host to score the game out of 10 based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!
The games we've picked out for random review this week are:
• Medal of Honor: Airborne (2007, Xbox 360)
• Super Locomotive (1982, Arcade via 2022, Sega Mega Drive Mini 2)
Absolutely ridiculous questions arise from our conversations such as:
- Why are muscle-clad steam engines haunting Fazz's dreams?
- How many grenades is just too many grenades?
- Do you need a rare candy to evolve an M1 Garand?
All of the above and a modicum of actual video game chat on this week's LLVL podcast. Choo choo!
Hi Podfans
Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly where we both pick a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our co-host. We then review said video game on the podcast and ask our co-host to score the game out of 10 based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!
The games we've picked out for random review this week are:
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (2024, PS4)
• The Kung Fu/China Warrior (1987, PC Engine)
Pertinent questions we ask this week are:
• What is SOTNitis and can you catch it through metroidvania's?
• Have you visited to freaky Mount Queef?
• If sticks and stones may break your bones, what do teeny, tiny fireballs do?
All the above and some actual video game chat on this week's LLVL podcast. Enjoy!
"What were you doing 20 years ago today?" There aren't many days that you can turn around and answer that clearly without skipping a beat but the 1st September 2005 was different. It was unique. It was thrilling. It was once in a lifetime stuff for some of us and it was memorable...
Join us as we celebrate 20 years since the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) launched in Europe. We muse over what it meant for gaming and for us personally? Just how innovative was the PSP in 2005?
Furthermore, we all know that a hardware launch is only as good as the software that supports it (We're looking at you Nintendo Switch 2) Therefore, we decide to spend a large chunk of this pod discussing & drafting our favourite PSP European launch titles into teams. Because... you know... fun?!?
The PSP is dead... Long live the PSP.
Hi Consigliere's
Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly where we both pick a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our co-host. We then review said game on the podcast and ask our co-host to score the game out of 10 based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!
The games we've picked out for random review this week are:
• Cho Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko (1995, PS1)
• Mafia: Definitive Edition (Xbox One, 2020)
• Mafia II: Definitive Edition (Steam, 2020)
(Mafia II turned 15 years old today!)
We run into the following important questions:
- How willing are you to perish to save debatable 1950's reading material?
- Does the phrase "fleshy protrusion" make you squirm?
- What would Monty Python look like on steroids?
Okay, they aren't 'important' questions but what ya' gonna do about it? Break every bone in our body's and leave us laying in a pool of our own blood? Yeah, Don Salieri was a bit much huh?...
Enjoy the pod.
We've had this episode on the backburner for an age. It's been simmering away waiting for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater to find it's way into the world and now its time to talk about the REAL 'Big Boss trilogy'...
(None of that Phantom Pain retcon malarkey!)
MGS Portable Ops (2006, PSP) isn't considered canon by most but why is that the case? It's not directed by Kojima certainly but aside from that fact, it is a Metal Gear Solid titled game starring 'Big Boss' so doesn't it deserve it's place at the table?
Fazz has been diving in and out of this handheld operation for almost 20 years now so he's here to tell you whether MGS fans should (or perhaps shouldn't) pay more attention to what is one of 'Big Boss' most interesting missions, if not the most entertaining.
Next up we have Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010, PSP), a fully dyed in the woollen camouflage canon sequel to MGS3: Snake Eater. Developed for the same system as MGS Portable Ops but this time, Kojima is fully at the helm.
MGS Peace Walker could be credited with single handedly expanding the lifespan of the PSP. It is widely considered as one of the best video games made for the handheld stalwart so what can we say about it that you don't already know?
Rich pulls himself away from the 'Sagat' update in Street Fighter 6 just about long enough to convey why MGS PW might be one of the best games in the series overall. Or at least a version of it?
Finally we step away from the REAL 'Big Boss' story but stick with the PSP and MGS so Fazz can let you know that Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel (2006, PSP) is probably the best way to enjoy MGS on Sony's palm-top playground after all.
Enjoy the pod.
The Holy Grail? Nah. Crystal skulls? Not for us. Dials of Destiny? Forget about em'! How about a mystical huge wheel shape thingy instead? Now you're talking...
Well, actually, its Rich and Fiona doing all of the talking this week as they plot a course through Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PC, PS5). They dig deep into MachineGames' most recent effort to discuss just how great a Great Circle can be. They also take time to reminds us why its important to take part in 'Punch a Nazi at work' day.
Meanwhile, Fazz decides to tag along behind constantly asking annoying questions. He's nowhere near as endearing as 'Short Round' but that doesn't stop Rich from scolding him like a father figure.
Hang on podders, we going for a (spoiler free) ride!
Our podcast's extra successful, super turbo #DryveJanuary event feels a long time ago and we're still a few months away from the next iteration. We couldn't handle waiting any longer. We NEEDED to drive some vehicles and quickly...
This iteration of our podcast is somewhat a 'definitive edition' of a couple of our previous episodes. Long have we bemoaned the sound quality of episode #6 so its about time we go back and give our favourite Anti Gravity Racing League the respect it deserves...
Wipeout Omega Collection (2017, PS4) pulls together HD (effectively Pure & Pulse combined), HD Fury and 2048 to form a love letter to futuristic racing the likes of which has never been seen before or since.
Can a human being overface themselves on Wipeout or are we ricocheting maniacally off too many boost pads to care?
If you skip forward through time fast enough in a Feisar ship and you might find yourself at Episode #21 where Fazz's review of the original Outrun resides. He was quite glowing about it and it earned itself a 9/10 score. Some 100 odd episodes later and we're taking its quasi sequel of a sequel, Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (PS2 & PSP, 2006), out for a spin.
Seen by some as the 'ultimate' Outrun game, does this edition take the original's crown or is it a pretender to the throne?
#dryveaugustbutjustforoneweek is in session gang... Buckle up.
Hi Podfans.
This week we get all artistic and shit as we muse over the poetry of videogames. Yeah, we didn't see that high brow stuff coming either... It just sort've happened.
Rich provides what might be the most obscure offering we've had on the podcast yet in the form of 'The Little Tales of Alexandria' (2022, Nintendo Gameboy), a retro short story driven exploration game which is available via Itch.io and 'Indie Heroes Collection 3' on Evercade cartridge.
Perhaps just as creative, imaginative and perhaps just a little more well known is 'Journey: Collectors Edition' (2012, PS3). Fazz dives, swoops, glides and slides through Flow (2006), Flower (2009) and Journey (2012), providing a review for each game from Thatgamecompany's famous ensemble.
Does the whole collection gel together and are all of the games still deserving of their unique critical praise? Is 'Journey' really one of the best video games ever made?
Find out all this and more on this week's Living La Vita Loca podcast!
Hi Podfans
Welcome to another edition of #FreeplayFortnightly where we both pick a video game that we want to play and keep it secret from our co-host. We then review said game on the podcast and ask our co-host to score the game out of 10 based on our review. Simple? You bet we are!
The games we've picked out for random review this week are:
• Jackass The Game (2007, PSP)
• Sega Bass Fishing (1999, Dreamcast)
• Pimp My Ride (2007, PSP)
This week's podcast is filled with kickass attitude with plenty of crass content and that's just a badass 90's fishing game!
Fazz takes some time to discuss why he loved Jackass so much and why it still holds a special spot in his dumb little mind.
Meanwhile Rich stares into 'Sega Blue' skies and ponders if he could ever ponce around a pond looking for perch?
Finally both hosts visit 'Pimp City' for the best ride of their lives. Except it's not that at all... It's an awful ironic car crash but we laugh ALOT!
Enjoy the pod. Xzibit out.
No, please... just get out...
Ready, Jet Set, Go...
What do you get if you mix Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (PS2), Jet Set Radio (Dreamcast) and Dave Mirra BMX Challenge (PSP) together?
You get THE BEST ranked, 4TH BEST ranked and... 2ND WORST ranked games on their respective platforms according to Metacritic.com.
It feels like a game reaaaalllly has to go some to be rated one of the worst games on Sony's PSP so we get Dave Mirra's 2005 handheld effort out of the way quickly. Like super quick...
Almost as quick as a gang of graffiti-tagging inline skaters blasting around Tokyo causing havoc (Jet Set Radio, Dreamcast). Rich is in charge of describing how rolling around at speed on tiny wheels is totally radical...
Almost as radical as rolling around at speed on a board with tiny wheels in one of the most hotly anticipated remakes of this console generation (THPS 3+4, Game Pass). Fazz is tasked with getting to grips with the button mashing mayhem of his teenage past.
Enjoy the pod.
Which games should you review on your retro gaming podcast to coincide with the release week of a tent pole summer blockbuster movie starring Superman? The much maligned 'Nintendo Superman 64' or perhaps the bang average 'Superman: Shadow of Apokolips' from 2002?
No, what you do is you play Batman games! Obviously. Metropolis will have to wait, Gotham has thrown up the bat signal...
After a quick discussion about best/worst animal superhero combinations, Rich takes the batmobile for a spin through time to 1990 (it has a flux capacitor right?!) to visit Batman on the Sega Mega Drive which was inspired by the 1989 movie starring Michael Keaton. Michael Keaton looks great 35 years later but how does his video game moniker hold up?
Batclawing his way back to more recent times, Fazz finds himself inside Arkham Asylum (where he probably belongs frankly) taking on Rocksteady's 2009 critical darling. Does it still hit as hard as one of Bane's fists in 2025? And does it even matter if Fazz has decided he just isn't Batman's biggest Batfan?!
All these riddles and more to solve on this week's Living La Vita Loca podcast...
"Always make sure the DEUCE is worth the squeeze". That's the idiom that we assume tennis players must live and die by. We'll LET you mull that one over as you listen to this week's podcast SERVING. Okay, sorry, we'll stop now.
We are joined once again by our friend Haikers who is a marathon runner and 'Monroe Bagger' so he must know all about tennis right?! Probably. He's opted to tell us all about New Star Tennis (2010, PC) which is part of the intriguing indie New Star sport series.
What about the rest of us? Fazz goes on an exciting voyage with his tennis coach around the globe in Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour (2012, PS Vita) although he's not sure he won't end up in jail in a far flung land.
Meanwhile Rich has opted for Gaelco's Squash (1992, Evercade) because, well, why not? You hit a ball with a stick in competition with another player. It's the exact same sport right? Oh, quiet down all of you tennis players out there, stop making a RAQUET...
We're not even sorry. Enjoy the pod.
26 years is a long time...
26 years ago, Manchester United had just won the treble...
26 years ago, Tony Hawk landed THE 900 (and had his first named video game released...
26 years also marks how long it has been since we have set eyes on a new Fatal Fury game and it didn't take long for our resident fighting game aficionado Rich to pick up the latest release in the storied SNK franchise, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (2025, Steam Deck).
After feeling let down by a Tekken 8 update already this year, is there still enough love left in Rich's heart for a modern fighter that weirdly features Christiano Ronaldo on its roster?!?
We're also asking if 26 years is long enough for someone to learn how to 'git gud' at fighting games? Why you ask? Well we're not sure if it is quite enough time for our esteemed guest and good friend Haikers to master Skullgirls (2012, PS3), a well loved but hardcore 2D fighter with a huge fanbase. He may need need a few more... minutes...
Enjoy the pod.
'Hotman' Paris Hutapea is an Indonesian lawyer, presenter, and businessman. He is known for his flamboyant style, high-profile clients, and luxurious lifestyle.
'Hotman' is also a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sho Kitagawa.
None of the above should be confused with 'Hitman' AKA Agent 47, iconic protagonist (according to a recent BAFTA poll) of the storied IOInteractive series. It's not something that anyone who is a huge fan of the entire franchise would ever be confused about... Isn't that right Rich?!
Whilst all of your podcast hosts grapple with the English language this week (Welcome back Fiona), we thankfully struggle less with our collective opinions of Hitman: World of Assassination (2016 -)
We kick things off with Rich's memories of the whole Hitman saga, take a quick diversion to discuss our first (light) impressions of the upcoming IOI developed James Bond game and finally arrive in the World of Assassination, just in time to be hit in the back of the head by a rubber duck. Oh oh.
Sophisticated, sauve, clinical and thrilling... Farcical, hilarious, dumb and barking mad... Either list of adjectives could be used to describe the last 9 years of Agent 47's career perfectly and ultimately we couldn't be much happier about that.
Finally, just before we float away into the sunset on an inflatable crocodile, we offer up our personal favourite Hitman levels. Our opinion on these is final because as Jonny English once said "The word "mistake," sir, is not one that appears in my dictionary".
Enjoy the podcast.
