Giant Bombcast

Dan, Jan, Grubb, and Mike get into the virtual squared circle to decide what occupies the Mount Rushmore for best wrestling games! We also chat a bit about Mario Golf, Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

This week on the podcast we chat about our first two hours in Rise of Ronin, WWE2K24 being a pretty okay game, spinning yoyos in Penny's Big Breakaway, brief thoughts on Unicorn Overlord, and HotDog controllers! We also chat about the news from Mario Day, WB's insane business plans, and more!

This week, Jan, Bakalar, and Grubb are joined by Polygon & The Besties' Russ Frushtick to talk more about their adventures through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Balatro, and Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game! Following that, they cover the updates on the Nintendo vs. Yuzu case, EA's continued turmoil, a whole bunch of other news and of course, your emails!

This week we chat extensively about more Balatro and some more talk about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth! We also squeeze in some Arzette and Unicorn Overlord chat as well. On top of that we cover the recent layoffs at Sony, a quick recap over the Pokemon Direct from this morning, and a whole slew of more news and emails!

We've got a full house today to chat about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth! Don't worry, because we dodge spoilers as Jeff Grubb, Lucy James, TurboShawn McDowell, Tamoor Hussain, Mike Minotti, and Emma Fyffe give their impressions on the game as a whole!

Jan's out for this one, so Host Bakalar and Producer Grubb join forces with Dan and Shawn to talk about cool indie games, the Switch 2's potential release window, and the glory of Baja Blast.

We got our dear friend from VGC News, Jordan Middler, on the podcast today to chat about games, the Switch 2, and whether or not Cloud Strife is popular!

The Bombcast is for lovers! We chat about cards in Balatro, Bakalar's time with the dioramalike Harold Halibut, and how much we've been enjoying Helldivers 2! Grubb also explains the news such as Xbox's podcast, Switch 2 leaks, and even more news stories.

Let's all give Grubb a warm welcome back to the pod as he graces us with swift skips in the morning. We're also graciously joined by KindaFunny's SnowBikeMike as we dive deep into a whole bunch of Xbox and other Microsoft news! We chat about playtime in games, a bit about Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Jan gets into poker trouble.

It's all Persona 3 Reload today as we had a deep chat and a mini "review" of P3R with Jan, TurboShawn, Mike Minotti, and our dear friend Michael Higham! We also chat a bit about Test Test Test, Penny's Big Breakaway, and Tekken 8 before we dive DEEP into Tartarus.

Bailey Meyers is back on the show as we chat about a whole slew of games! We continue talking about Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, Jan's brief time in Persona 3 Reload, and a whole bunch of small titles that Bailey checked out over the break! We also try our best to cover Microsoft's mass layoffs, a Deus Ex game being cancelled, Switch 2 rumors, and whether or not someone should precut our steaks!

We got Imran Khan, Lex Luddy, and Jesse Viteli in the building to talk about Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and our favorite numbskull: Ichiban Kasuga!

We got our friend John Warren on the show today to chat about Glydr! Help control games with your feet! We also got a loaded plate of games while we chat about playing and all the things surrounding Palworld, the audacity and greatness of Tekken 8, and loving the island life in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth! We also tackle all of the week's biggest game news like the unfortunate Riot layoffs, Walmart throwing away physical games, and rumors of Shadow the Hedgehog's casting.

Check out Glydr at glyder.gg or feetlegal.com!

Turns out we also like things that aren't games! We bring you some of our favorite nongame stuff that we found or liked in 2023!

This week we continue our positive chatter about Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, we somehow are coerced to talk about wrestling for a portion of time, Jan gets into a new game called "Poker", and Shawn prepares for Tekken 8's eventual release and revisits some 3D fighters of yore. We also talk about the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, Dragon's Dogma 2 being newbie friendly, and more!

We got the whole gang here to review Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown AND to draft their picks in Giant Bomb's first ever Fantasy Critic league!

We have our dear friend friend John "Super Eye Patch Wolf" to chat about In Stars and Time, his experience with Lies of P, a bit of Void Strangers, Jan's forray into exposure therapy with Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway, Asgard's Wrath II, Cobalt Core, and Grubb's time with Pacific Drive. We also chat about the possibility of a big Xbox game heading to other platforms, an upcoming Xbox Direct, and more!

We had a bit of a light gaming week on account of being busy, but Jeff, Jeff, Shawn, and Niki are still here to give you a nice, long (and sometimes heated) conversation about what we predict PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo will do in 2024!

Jan's out sick for this one, so Bakalar's taking over as co-captain of the ship! We're starting the new year right by talking about how soda sucks, Gremlins 2 (apparently) rules, and as it turns out: We like playing video games. Following that, we chat about how into Kojima's weirdness we are, the Switch getting a flash cart, and Mickey Mouse joining the public domain (featuring the opinions of a couple of our friends).

We at GBHQ are hoping you're having a wonderful Holiday break! We got together to put one more Bombcast in the chamber before the new year! Jeff, Jeff, and Jan chat about the 2024 games that they're most excited about!

Welcome to the last live Bombcast of the year! We have a great time zipping around in The Finals, reset our futures in God of War: Valhalla, and flip dwellings in House Flipper 2! We also have an extended chat about the unfortunate Insomniac leaks, the discovery of a possible Luigi in Super Mario 64, and your emails!

We couldn't end Game of the Year season without deliberating on Best Game Music of the year! Listen along as we rediscover banger after banger and try our hardest to crown today's winner. Special thanks to YOU at home for hanging out this whole Game of the Year season. <3

WE HAVE ASSEMBLED IN PERSON to discuss some more categories like "Please Stop", "Most Disappointing", "Best Moment/Sequence", and to crown the real GAME OF THE YEAR!

We're back after a long week in Los Angeles! We recap our time during The Game Awards and then GB Live, as well as our misecellaneous shenanigans around Los Angles, and also we squeeze in talking about video games! We also bit adieu to E3 as it is officially announced as gone!

We brought the couch back to Los Angeles to chat with all of our friends in and around the industry before The Game Awards pops off! *edited out the breaks and tried to clean up the audio!
00:00 - Segment 1 - Couch: Jake Baldino, Lucy James, Emma Fyffe | Back Row: Tamoor Hussain, Michael Higham
45:43 - Segment 2 - Couch: Alyssa Mercante, Jen Glennon, Brittani Johnson, Steve Saylor | Back Row: Shawn Kittelson, John Drake
01:24:18 - Segment 3 - Couch: Jake Steinberg, Kahlief Adams, Parris Lillly | Back Row: Graham Reid, Dalibor Dimovski
02:09:58 - Segment 4 - Couch: Shannon Liao, Ben Starr, Rebb Ford, Harris Foster | Back Row: Xalavier Nelson, Rayme Vinson
02:52:33 - Segment 5 - Couch: Ash Thukral, David Kim, Alexa Bowers, Andrejs Klavins | Back Row: Seth Rosen, Alexander Dracott
03:38:36 - BONUS Remedy Segment - Couch: Jeff Bakalar, Sam Lake, Kyle Rowley, Ilkka Villi | Back Row: Lucy James, Tamoor Hussain
03:56:29 - Segment 6 - Mary Kish and The Fuckos #gbatnite #giantbomb #thegameawards

We're all together IN PERSON for DAY 3 of the Game of the Year! Today we begin the whittling process to get to the TOP 20 Games of the Year to start the voting process. Do the knives come out? What harsh cuts need to be made? What games will make it to the Silver Spoon?

SCREW IT! WE'LL DO IT LIVE! Join us as we continue down the journey of Game of the Year 2023.

The whole crew is mostly here to chat about seven more categories:

• BEST PIKMIN
• Bloodborne Presents OLD GAME OF THE YEAR
• Psi-Ops Presents BEST DUDE-TOSSING - BEST MULTIPLAYER
• Soulja Boy Presents Best Game For People Who Drink Beer And Get Drunk or Smoke Weed and Get High and who macrodose to deal with the pain of everyday life
• MOST B-GAME
• Cheesecake Factory Presents PETER MOLYNEUX MEMORIAL (he’s fine) AWARD FOR MOST IDEAS

THE FIFTH SEASON OF THE YEAR IS UPON US, GAME OF THE YEAR SEASON! We got the whole gang here to chat about 7 CATEGORIES to kick off Day 1 of deliberations.

Those categories are:

• Cheesecake Factory’s Ben Starr Presents BEST DEBUT (characters, studio, IP, etc)
• JEFF BAKALAR’S BEST RUNNING AROUND (the spirit of moving)
• BEST 2022 GAME WE DIDN’T TALK ABOUT
• BEST ALAN WAKE CHARACTER
• BEST GAME YOU BOUNCED OFF OF
• BEST NEW HARDWARE
• BEST GAME MECHANIC

We'll be back this coming Tuesday for Day 2 of deliberations and 7 more categories!

Right before we get to Game of the Year this week we continue the mad dash to play all the games! Bailey joins us this week as we talk about Venba, El Paso Elsewhere, finishing Jusant, trying our hardest to continue through Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3! We're a little light on the news this week but we chat about Sony's class action lawsuit, Killer Instinct getting a new Anniversary Edition, and Bethesda replying to negative Steam reviews.


Only a few tickets are left for the Giant Bomb GOTY Finale:
https://www.ticketmaster.com/giant-bomb-los-angeles-california-12-09-2023/event/09005F6FEAF94234

New stuff in the store as well!https://store.giantbomb.com/

It's a short week because of the holidays in the states! We wrangled everyone to share what we were all thankful for this year. Hope you're having a restful time if you got the time off, but if not, Happy Thursday!

Make sure to defrost your turkies! This week we chat about the Lenovo Legion Go, Persona 5 Tactica, Super Mario RPG, and Chants of Sennaar! We also talk about the Switch 2 not having DLSS, Pokemon never going extinct, and more!

If you missed out on tickets to the Giant Bomb Game of the Year LIVE, we've switched up venues and have more on sale: https://www.ticketmaster.com/giant-bomb-los-angeles-california-12-09-2023/event/09005F6FEAF94234

Jan, Bakalar, Tam, and Bailey are here for REVENGEANCE! This week Jan talks about a couple other games that he's churning through, Tam talks puzzles in Puzzmo, and we hear about hot takes on watermelons!

This week's hot topic: THE GAME AWARDS! We have an extended chat about the state of the show, the industry as a whole, and our thoughts on what'll win at the TGAs!

We got Disney Trivia Champion Mike Minotti back on the podcast as we chat about Slay the Princess, Thirsty Suitors, Hans, and some quick impressions on the PlayStation Portal! We also cover Nintendo Indie World, the Game Awards Nominee list, Rocksteady steadily pushing Suicide Squad along, and more!

WE'RE ALSO PUTTING ON A LIVE SHOW! Giant Bomb's Game of the Year LIVE will be 12/9/23, 12pm, at the Moroccan Lounge! Tickets available soooon!

THE STEAM DECK OLED IS REAL!

Sorry. Still excited about that one.

In this episode, the crew discusses Dan & Jan's trip to Valve to check out the updated device as well as their own hands-on time at home. After that, the HOT TOPIC of the week: What IS the Best Portable Game of all time?

Today we're joined by Nathan Grayson and Chris Person to talk about their new website: Aftermath.site! We chat about the hidden horrors of PG movies, climbing mountains in Jusant, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, questionable VO in Mortal Kombat 1, and guiding people around in Humanity.

We also chat about Epic Games Store not making money, the Nintendo Switch continuing to sell a lot, Xbox and AI tools, walking in the woods, and more!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/bombcast and get on your way to being your best self.

In the first episode of Bombcast: Revengeance we continue to chat about Alan Wake II and some loose rumblings for how we think Game of the Year is going to shape out. We also get into this week's HOT TOPIC and wonder if the Nintendo Switch is the best console of all time?

This week we talk about the new Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, our continued adventures in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, busting in Ghostbuters Spirits Unleashed, and absolutely enjoying Alan Wake II! We also cover Nintendo's patents, Atari acquiring studios, and the unfortunate layoffs hitting Bungie.

We try and make the smallest faces possible as we chat about the Meta Quest 3, more of our time with Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, and the wonderful time we've been having with Super Mario Bros. Wonder! We also read your emails about oreo etiquette, Spider-Man selling well, and Microsoft doubling down on games.

This week Jan, Grubb, and Bakalar are joined by Bailey to discuss Sonic Superstars, the greatness of Cyber 2077, and their impressions of Marvel's Spider-Man 2! We also cover Pete Hines leaving Bethesda, Disney's CEO being pressured to buy EA, and more!


This episode is sponsored by to you by BetterHelp.
Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/bombcast and get on your way to being your best self.

Grubb, Dan, Jan, and Bakalar swing in time to thwip away with their impressions of their time with Marvel's Spider-Man 2!

This week we chat about conducting our own type of heist and other fun in Payday 3, Mike spending more time in Baldur's Gate 3, Niki still stumbling through Starfield, and more! We also somehow stumble through the news while Grubb is away!

While we can't talk about all the games we're playing we talk about Excite Bike 64, Baldur's Gate 3, and Jan's quick trip to Disneyland. We also break down all of the recent layoffs in the industry, Peter Molyneux's blockchain game, and more stories! BUG!


This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online
therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bombcast and get on your way to being your best self.

This week we have a little party with Party Animals, Jan finishes Lies of P and spoils a bit of the ending, Grubb is circling back to Starfield on the ASUS Roger, and more! We also cover the Activision and Xbox deal slowly coming to a close, Hideki Kamiya leaving Platinum, and more Gollum?


This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online
therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bombcast and get on your way to being your best self.

We got Tam on to chat about his time with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and his time with Lies of P. Later Bailey joins us to chat about her new show on Game Spot with Emma Fyffe (linked below!) as we chat about the Microsoft leaks, Phil Spencer's plans to acquire Nintendo, and more!

Reality Check - https://youtu.be/_D9vmVp7ZS8?si=TNwvAeQvez_Mt4C4
Spider-Man 2 Hands-On Preview - https://youtu.be/CY_r5adXXTA?si=_NVY3CUFKg_8fz3B

The Giant Bombcast is POWERED by NZXT https://nzxt.co/GiantBomb

Almost the whole crew is here to welcome back Jeff Bakalar as he regales us with his time at Disney World. We also chat about Pseudoregalia, Assassin's Creed Mirage, Void Stranger, and more games! We also find the time to talk about Embracer updates, a possible Nintendo Direct, and the baffling updates with Unity.

Before we went our separate ways, we all got together in Jan's room to talk about our time at PAX West, some Starfield talk, and just having a good time!

It turns out we're getting into mechs! We chat about Sea of Stars, surprisingly being into Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and gushing over Armored Core VI. We also talk about the Switch outselling the Wii and more stories from GamesCom!

The Giant Bombcast is powered by NZXT
https://nzxt.co/GiantBomb

We're joined again by our dear friend Bailey Meyers to chat about Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, En Garde!, more adventures in Baldur's Gate 3, and more! We also chat about Microsoft's deal with UbiSoft, Charles Martinet "moving on", and other stories.


The Giant Bombcast is powered by NZXT
https://nzxt.co/GiantBomb

We're joined by Bailey Meyers this week to chat about Grubb's continued adventures in Tears of the Kingdom, Keith David replacing the late great Lance Reddick, Pikmin 4, and more!

The Giant Bombcast is powered by NZXT https://nzxt.co/GiantBomb

WE LOVE BEARS! We also love to talk about Pikmin 4, Disney Illusion Island, Tren and the state of Dreams, Pokemon news, Square Enix not being pleased, and more!