A Winner Is You

You know us. We love a good moan. Especially David, but ESPECIALLY Alex. We feed our blackened hearts with pure, grade A disappointment, so we're serving it up for your, hopefully more optimistic, palates. We take 10 disappointing moments or trends from gaming history and stick them in a tier list. Nintendo, GAME, Rare, Sony, Microsoft - they all better watch their backs. We're coming for 'em. Tell us your disappointments over @winnerisyoupod on X or BlueSky, and please rate/review on your platform of choice.

It's time for a good ol' fashioned knockout tournament! In the first of a new pod format (that we will continue to run with whether you like it or not), we're hosting a tourney to crown the king of the first person shooters.12 games enter, 8 progress to the knockouts to be randomly drawn against each other on the road to the final. What will win? Halo? Half-Life? Goldeneye? Doom? Call of Duty? You better listen to find out. Rate/review on your pod platform of choice, and say hi @winnerisyoupod on X and BlueSky.

It's been a huge week to be a Nintendo fan, for good and bad. We're here to condense and deliver as much information and opinion from the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, and all the information trickling out since, as we possibly can just for you.To round out the episode, we celebrate the console that came before with our individual top 10 lists of Switch 1 games. Come say hi on Twitter or BlueSky @winnerisyoupod and we'll see you next episode for Genre Wars pt.1 - FPS Games.

It's a movie and a game for you lucky people! That's right, we're ready to believe you... want to hear us discuss the 1984 classic movie Ghostbusters AND Ghostbusters: The Video Game. We love the movie, we... kinda like and respect the game. There is absolutely nothing extraordinarily bad about this podcast. Yes, it's true, this man has no dick. Say hi to us on BlueSky @winnerisyoupod and we'll see you next time for a Switch 2 Direct reaction pod + our Top 10 Switch games of all time.

It's finally here, lads. We go deep into covering all the wonderful Dishonored games, right from the 2012 original through all the DLC and onto Dishonored 2 and Death of the Outsider.It's safe to say we adore these games. The main two are both 10/10s. We'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Say hi @winnerisyoupod on Twitter or BlueSky and get ready for March Movie Madness up next!

Once again we bring in KDB to join us picking 10 video games each, this time from the year 2010, and trying to get the highest total Metacritic score. This is an epic, folks. Banger game after banger game, a photo finish down to the last game for second place, records broken, and a bonus 2025 fantasy draft for a bonus point in the league table. Please rate and/or review us on your pod platform of choice and tell your gaming buddies how rad this pod is. Come say hi to us @winnerisyoupod on Twitter and BlueSky!

Oh bugger, this is already getting messy. We're back with another 15 rock solid Xbox 360 games to add in to our burgeoning top 100 list. So you can follow along while listening, the current top 15 before recording looked like this: Dead Space Gears of War Portal 2 Batman: Arkham Asylum Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Bioshock The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Binary Domain FIFA 10 Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed Alan Wake Left 4 Dead 2 Resident Evil 5 Limbo Split/Second VelocityWill Binary Domain hang in the top 10 by the end? Can anything usurp Dead Space? Why is Limbo so low? All this and more to be revealed in a stonker of an episode for Xbox fans. Come say hi on Twitter or (preferably) BlueSky @winnerisyoupod and we'll see you in the next episode for the 2010 Video Game Draft!

We may be halfway through January already, but 2024 doesn't officially end until we've decided our prestigious Game of the Year Awards! The categories, as is now the standard, are: Best Story, Best Gameplay, Most Bullshit, Best Surprise, Worst Game, Outsider Award (best non-pod game), Best Game, Most Anticipated 2025 Podcast Game, and Most Anticipated 2025 New Release. Enjoy the rambling, long awards show and tell us what you thought over @winnerisyoupod on either Twitter or BlueSky (preferably the latter).

What a way to close out 2024, eh? There's something quintessentially Christmassey about sticking on an Indiana Jones movie, so we decided we'd play one in Machine Games' latest masterpiece. We dive deep into the gameplay, story, mysteries, puzzles, characters, combat and much, much more. Say hi to us on Twitter or BlueSky @winnerisyoupod and have a bloody brilliant new year. See you in 2025!

Snaaaaake Eeeeeeeaaaaaterrrrrrrrrrrrrr! That's right, we're rounding off the original MGS trilogy with what many believe to be its finest hour. Join us in celebration of MGS3's 20th birthday as we have a deep dive into its gameplay, impact, bosses and all the insane details you may have missed! Come say hi to use on Twitter or BlueSky @winnerisyoupod

Happy birthday, PlayStation, you old bastard! 30 years of Sony's iconic, game-changing machine needs to be acknowledged and celebrated with more than just a grey PS5 controller, so we're here to throw a proper party. We've got memories of the console, anecdotes from childhood, a look through our PS1 games collections and our individual top 10 lists of PS1 games. It's a warm and fuzzy pod for those cold winter nights. Follow us on Twitter or BlueSky @winnerisyoupod, and give us a rating or review on your pod platform of choice!

Don't feel old, mate. We're all in this together, ageing like fine wine. Has Halo 2 done the same, or is it old and embarassing like your dad? We talk through everything - gameplay, story, marketing, multiplayer, the 2014 remaster and much, much more. Say hi @winnerisyoupod on twitter and/or BlueSky, watch us on YouTube, and please rate/review on your platform of choice - it probably helps.

Yeah, not the remake. We both bought the terribly-optimised PC version and... nah. Unplayable. But hey, the original Silent Hill 2 is a masterpiece and one of the greatest horror games, if not the greatest, ever made. We have an epic chat about this seminal, groundbreaking game that is just as unsettling now as it was in 2001. Trigger warning: this podcast contains discussions about sexual assault, mental illness, terminal illness, euthanasia, suicide and more dark topics that you probably already know are in the game. Just letting you know now - this pod gets pretty heavy at times. Rate/review/sub, tell your friends, say hi to us on Twitter @winnerisyoupod.

It's spooky season once again, and we are nothing if not men of tradition. It's a two-parter this year, and first up is a game we've wanted to play for years: Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. A GameCube launch window gem, this game has a still-unique sanity system that brilliantly fucks with the player, some great puzzling, a deep magic system, top voice acting and much more to recommend. All of which you'll hear in this episode. Say hi on Twitter @winnerisyoupod, rate/review/sub on your platform of choice, and we'll see you for part 2 with Silent Hill 2 (both versions)

The final game before Spooky Season is a strong contender for game of the year, and the best 3D platformer in bloody ages (and we do love one of those on this pod) - it's the PS5-chugging Astro Bot. As a little bonus, Alex relays all the mad games he played while abject and directionless as David was away on a cruise for two weeks. Say hi @winnerisyoupod on X, awinnerisyoupod on Instagram, or @winnerisyou on BlueSky. We're also on YouTube if you want to watch us while we chat, you fackin' perv.

Sometimes you just have the play the ball as it lies. We made this bed to finish Summer of Resi 2024 with the remake of Resident Evil 3 so, by god, we had a lie in it. Is it really as bad as people say (not really)? Is it a terrible remake of the original (pretty much)? We have some pretty strong feelings on this one, and there are many laughs to be had along the way. Hey! Rate this podcast 5* and tell your mates! Hey! We're on BlueSky now because Elon is a weapons grade bellend! We're still on X though, and it's @winnerisyoupod on whichever of those you choose to use. Also on YouTube and TikTok if you can't enjoy resting your eyes for even a second, you fucking zoomer.

We got to 100 episodes and went mad! As promised, we bring to you the first part in our magnum opus. Based on ranking the Xbox 360 as our favourite console back in episode 82, we promised you we'd eventually rank the top 100 games on the system. That begins now. We'll be hitting 15 games per episode until the final part, which will be the final 10. Some of the below games may never leave the top 10, but you'll have to keep coming back to find out! Up for ranking in this episode are: Alan Wake Batman: Arkham Asylum Binary Domain Bioshock Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Dead Space Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim FIFA 10 Gears of War Left 4 Dead 2 Limbo Portal 2 Resident Evil 5 Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed Split/Second Enjoy the episode, thanks for being with us for 100 episodes. Here's to 100 more! That will be easier if you rate/review us on your pod platform of choice, tweet about us @winnerisyoupod, chat to us on BlueSky @winnerisyoupod or email us at awinnerisyoupod@gmail.com

It's back to the originals again, boys and girls, as we tackle what is arguably still the jewel in the Resident Evil crown, 1998's Resident Evil 2. We talk the story, the development, the RPD, the differences between this and the remake, all the differences in the A/B campaigns and much more! Say hi @winnerisyoupod, email awinnerisyoupod@gmail.com and please tell your buddies about us - it'd really help x

Summer of Resi proper begins with what is still arguably the greatest remake of all time - the 2002 GameCube behemoth that is Resident Evil. We dive deep into the game's development, the extended lore of the Trevor family, the differences between it and the 1996 original, and much more! If you want to play the PC version of Resident Evil HD Remaster with the shiny and gorgeous graphics mods like we did, then head over to: https://www.nexusmods.com/residentevilbiohazardhdremaster/mods/6 Like/rate/review/sub on your platform of choice, say hi @winnerisyoupod and we'll see you next episode for Resident Evil 2!

We kick off our third annual Summer of Resi by bringing in KDB for a special video game draft - this time picking only Resident Evil games! The list with the highest total Metacritic (or GameRankings archive if the game is too old) wins! This one has some real shite in it towards the end. Resi history is a mixed bag as we all know! Say hi @winnerisyoupod and rate/review/sub on your pod platform of choice

We satiate our hunger to get started with Summer of Resi by diving deep into the wonderfully nostalgic indie survival horror gem, Crow Country. Developed mostly by one man, this truly is a gloriously reverential homage to classic Resi that stands as a veritable masterpiece in its own right. Like, rate, review, subscribe! Come say hi @winnerisyoupod

A few episodes ago we late fate decide six games we were going to play, all from the SNES and Mega Drive libraries available on Nintendo Switch Online. Those games were: Battletoads in Battlemaniacs Claymates Comix Zone Kirby's Dream Land 3 Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master Target Earth It's safe to say we didn't love most of these, but if you know one thing about this podcast, it's that things generally get more entertaining the angrier we get! Rate/review/sub on your pod platforms, check us out on YouTube and/or TikTok, say hi @winnerisyoupod

Steel thy earphones and get ready for a 10th birthday celebration for the almighty indie gem that is Yacht Club's Shovel Knight. We take a deep dive into every main stage of the game, the bosses, the music, the development, the Kickstarter, and more! If you're playing the game to mark the anniversary, you need this pod! Rate/review/subscribe! Say hi @winnerisyoupod

Summer may finally be picking up, but it's still pretty drafty in here! We welcome back the handsome KDB for the 2009 Video Game Draft! As always, we pick 10 games each, all from 2009, and then tot up their metacritic scores to decide a winner. Rate/review/subscribe. Say hi @winnerisyoupod. See you next time for Shovel Knight!

It's MAYtroidvania... in June! Sorry for the delay on this one, lads, but life stuff got in the way. Speaking of life stuff, Alex's audio had to take a hit on this episode in order to remove the background screaming of his two-year-old daughter's unfortunatley-timed hissy fit (when she should have been asleep like a good girl). Spare a thought for Mrs. Alex who had to try and calm down the little mite! Anyway, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a proper banger. One of the best metroidvania games in years, and arguably the best PoP game ever made - this is not a game, or pod, to be missed! An update to the end of the pod - Racing Lagoon is, indeed, not for us. Sorry! Instead, join us next episode for the 2009 Video Game Draft, and Shovel Knight after that. Like, subscribe, rate 5*, say hi @winnerisyoupod. Cheers x

It's a top 10, kinda top 20, list episode! Alex and David both have their own personal top 10s of Mega Drive and SNES games, mixing both platforms to create the ultimate list of 16-bit classics. Cue a lot of Alex saying he didn't include certain games because he's shit at them, David adding most of Alex's to his backlog, and both of them not giving a tiny rat's arse if you disagree with their picks - it's all subjective, lads. Rate/review on your pod platform, and tell us your favourite SNES and/or Mega Drive games over @winnerisyoupod.

We don't need to introduce this one. It's Halo. Halo is GOAT. Come say hi over @winnerisyoupod or email us awinnerisyoupod@gmail.com Rate/review on your pod platform of choice please! See you next episode for MAYtroidvania 2024!

Imagine if we did a bait and switch and halfway through the pod we just start talking about fucking Roblox or something. That's what you did to us, Kojima! Nah, Raiden's alright with us. He's had a rough life. Probably just misses his old glasses. But yeah, we're talking about Metal Gear Solid 2 and it's one of the best pods we've ever done. If you don't listen, don't blame us for you lack of enlightenment. Come say hi @winnerisyoupod, rate/review on your pod platform of choice and we'll see you next time for Halo: CE.

KDB rejoins his best friends for a distinctly, well, friendly draft. This time, it's 2008 under the microscope, as the lads all draft 10 games each from the year and hope to have the best metacritic score by the end. David's won the last two in a row, and is looking for a cheeky hat-trick. KDB just doesn't want to lose again. You can play along by checking the list of 2008 games we drafted from here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2008_video_games There's also a bonus bit of chat about Alone in the Dark, Dave the Diver and FFVII Remake. Like/rate/review/subscribe/be nice. Say hi @winnerisyoupod and we'll see you next episode for Metal Gear Solid 2!

We round off the madness of March and all its movie magnificence with two fantastic pieces of Batman media. First up is the the latest entry into Batman's cinematic adventures, with 2022's grisly detective thriller, The Batman. The second half of the pod is dedicated to one of the greatest licensed games of all time, the one that started a revolution - Batman: Arkham Asylum. Follow us on Twitter @winnerisyoupod and please rate/review on your pod platform of choice!

Grab your popcorn and curl up for a movie night with the lads. In a new annual feature, we're combining a movie with a game on our pods for the month of March, and first up is a cracking combo. We watched the 1988 classic RoboCop (Alex also watched RoboCop 2) and played RoboCop: Rogue City so we can talk about both of them in one pod! Don't forget to rate/review on your pod platform of choice, say hi over @winnerisyoupod and stay tuned for the next instalment of Triple M, where we'll be covering The Batman + Batman: Arkham Asylum. PS. Sorry about the audio not being as good as normal this episode. Alex had the wrong input selected when recording so we had to edit the pod using the audio from the Discord call. It'll be better next time, please don't tell ED-209 about this.

Ook ook, are you folks ready to go a... oh wait, I already did that one. Still, you don't need to be a king (preferably nobody is) to appreciate Kong around here - we absolutely love DKC: Tropical Freeze. We love it so much, in fact, that we both rank it in our top 10 2D platformers of all time. After we get through praising the game for its 10th birthday, we talk about our individual lists of GOAT platformers. Don't forget to rate/review us on your pod platform of choice, say hi over @winnerisyoupod and tune in next time for the inaugural February Film Fest episode!

A little later than usual, but we're finally ready to draw a line under 2023 with our annual GOTY Awards. Remember, friends, that our awards specifically cover the games covered on this podcast in 2023, so some winners/nominees will be old games. Don't forget to rate/review us on your pod platform of choice, come say hi over @winnerisyoupod and get ready to go ape in the next episode with 10 years of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze!

It's the first podcast of 2024, and the first since the apparently infamous console ranking! As such, the lads are forced to deal with the Sega Nutters of Twitter and the realisation that ranking the Sega Saturn below the Wii U is some kind of a hate crime against miserable little incels who really need to touch grass. So, if it's ok with you, we'd like to talk about how amazing Alan Wake 2 is. Please don't also bully us on Twitter for that (@winnerisyoupod either way). We're only ever here to celebrate video games, and this one is an absolute masterpiece. Don't forget to rate/review on your pod platform of choice, and we'll see you next time for GOTY 2023!

HO HO HO! For our holiday special, we basically lost our minds and decided to spend FOUR HOURS ranking every home video game console from Sega, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft - starting with the Master System right up to the PS5! It's a long debate, but you can't muck about with things of such importance, we're sure you're aware. What would your number one console of all time be? Let us know via @winnerisyoupod Show some festive spirit by leaving us a review/rating on your pod platform of choice and have a yourself a merry little Christmas from A Winner is You!

To keep you on tenter hooks for a bit longer before we tackle Alan Wake 2, we pay respects to another Remedy sequel - 2003's Max Payne 2. We chat about what the increased budget did for the game, where bullet time went, whether it's a puzzle game or not, the story, the legacy of the series, our hopes for the remasters and much more! There's also time to chat about our plans for next year, including February Film Fest, which will start in 2024 and deliver a movie and game club episode all at once! Side note: David recorded this podcast while suffering (unbeknownst at the time) from his third bout of Covid. So excuse if he says anything silly like Idris Elba is in Alan Wake 2. He was not himself! Don't forget to rate/review/say hi to us @winnerisyoupod, and we'll see you next time for the ranking of every home console Christmas special!

KDB returns to the pod for another hard-hitting, smack-talking, game-picking, JRPG-lamenting video game draft! This time, we each draft 10 games from the year 2007, and total up their metacritic scores to determine a winner. Don't forget to rate/review on your pod platform of choice, and come say hi to us on X over @winnerisyoupod

It's Mario. It's wonderful. It's Super Mario Bros. Wonder! Join us as we celebrate one of the highlights of the year, and the best 2D Mario since the SNES. Don't forget to leave us a review/rating and come say hi to us over @winnerisyoupod on Twitter!

Spooktoberfest comes to an end for another year with a horror games draft. Happy Halloween! Alex and David pick 10 games each across a variety of categories, and you lot get to vote on whose final list of 10 games is better. Do that over @winnerisyoupod on Twitter. Don't forget to rate/review on your pod platform of choice, check out the YouTube version, and have a look at our stuff on TikTok.

The lads prepare for the upcoming Alan Wake II episode by fumbling around in the dark with Alan Wake. Honestly? It holds up even better than it felt originally! We talk the story, episodic nature, action, characters, and much more! Don't forget to rate/review on your pod platform of choice, check out YouTube for the video version, and come say hi to us on X @winnerisyoupod

If we're being honest, F.E.A.R. didn't really fill us with much fear, but it did fill a bunch of super soldiers with very slow-moving bullets that look cool. So, there's that. The game does have horror leanings, especially with its Ring/Grudge influences, and we talk about that as well as the story, gunplay, visuals, development, trivia and much more! Please rate/review the show on your pod platform of choice and come say hi on X @winnerisyoupod

BOO! Spooky season is upon us and, as we are contractually obligated, so is Spooktoberfest! Once again we bring you a terrifying dose of Halloween havoc with a whole month of horror podcasts. Up first this year is Bloober Team's 2016 cult hit, Layers of Fear. Alex was genuinely terrified by this game, while David was a much braver boy. We delve deep into the story of the game and do our best to explain all the subtle things you may have missed. Please rate/review on your pod platform of choice, check out the video version on YouTube if you like faces, and say hi to us on Twitter @winnerisyoupod.

Aye carumba! Are you folks ready to laugh? Well, you should be, because we bring you a podcast celebrating 20 years of the 2003 open world classic, The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Does it hold up? Is it funny? Is it the best Simpsons game ever made? You better listen to find out. Don't forget to rate/review on your platform of choice, say hi to us on X @winnerisyoupod, or check us out on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

We're in celebratory mood, as September '23 marks the 25th birthday of one of the seminal works in video games - the classic Kojima masterpiece Metal Gear Solid. We both love the game, but there's definitely plenty of opportunity to poke fun at its eccentricities and nonsense. Alex also played Twin Snakes for comparison between the two, so we also chat about why that game is a bit of a black sheep (perhaps harshly). Please rate/review on your pod platform of choice, check out our YouTube if you want to see the video version, and come say hi to us on Twitter @winnerisyoupod

Chuck on your jersey, pad up your shins, take your energy drinks, make sure the laces are out (Dan) and get ready to kick off - it's the AWIY Sports Video Game Draft! David and Alex each draft 10 sports games across a variety of categories ranging from arcade to motorsport, and you get to vote on whose list of 10 is better! Head on over to @winnerisyoupod on Twitter/X to cast your vote on who is the draft winner!

This year's Summer of Resi rounds out with the game that started it all, the original Resident Evil for PlayStation. Regular bros of the podcast will know we ranked this game 7th out of all the Resident Evils we've covered on the pod so far, but that doesn't mean we don't love it. Don't forget to rate/review us on your pod platform of choice, check out the YouTube channel for video versions of the pods, and hit us up on X @WinnerIsYouPod

We needed a bit more time to bring you Resident Evil 1 so to fill the gap we decided to go through all 10 Resident Evil games we've covered so far on the podcast. Including Resident Evil 1 because Alex knows it well and David was right near the end of the game. And Resident Evil 6 because we started playing it for the podcast and had enough. And Dino Crisis because we say so. The 10 games being ranked for now - until we get through another couple of years when we'll come back to it - are: Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Dino Crisis, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil 4 Remake. Let us know how you'd rank those games over @winnerisyoupod or via email to awinnerisyoupod@gmail.com and sorry about the audio issues. Alex had his input set to his cocking iPhone earphones mic and it was like having your ears turned into a Jill sandwich. We had to scrape the audio from the Discord video feed (where he had set it to the correct mic) but it was a proper patch-up. Next episode will sound beautiful. Promise! Please rate/review the show on your pod platform of choice, you lovely people who are lovely to us.

We keep rollin' through Raccoon City for Summer of Resi 2023, this time with a big ol' bugger on our tail. Join us as we dive deep into the spinoff-turned-full-game (kinda), 1999's PS1 classic, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. As usual, we talk at length about the story, development, gameplay, legacy, and our own thoughts, with the obligatory dose of irreverent banter you expect from AWIY. If you want to experience Resi 3 in the beautiful seamless HD the way we did when playing for this episode, you can download everything you need here: https://www.reshdp.com/re3/ Rate/review us on your pod platform of choice, please! Check out the YouTube version of this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@awinnerisyoupodcast1501 Say hi on Twitter to @winnerisyoupod, @davidsmillie1 and @superthrillex

Summer of Resi returns for Season Two! For the rest of the summer, we're focusing on nothing but Capcom's Resident Evil series - starting with the incredible 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2! We chat about the game's development and release, dish out some trivia, a tonne of opinions, and go through the major moments in the campaigns of Leon and Claire. See you next episode for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis! Like/review/rate us on your pod app of choice. Please! Twitter: https://twitter.com/WinnerIsYouPod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@awinnerisyoupodcast1501 TikTok: https://t.co/ZZLpcSz1Fn

We got one hell of a package for you this episode, pals! Yes, it really is 30 sodding years since we were able to gorge ourselves silly on four SNES-ified remakes of classic Super Mario Bros. We take you through the development of the game, the key changes between the NES originals and the remakes, our feelings on each individual game and, of course, a music tier list! Get in touch with us on Twitter @winnerisyoupod! Please rate/review/subscribe (and check us on YouTube if you want to look at beards)

We ride again, drafters! KDB joins us once more to pick 10 games each, this time from the year 2006, and total up their Metacritic scores to see who wins. Will Kelsi retain his crown from 2005? Will David overtake Alex in the overall league table? Will Alex do something stupid like picking only games from Nintendo consoles? Oh, the suspense! Don't forget to leave a rating/review on your pod platform of choice, and hit us up on Twitter (if you're still on there) @VG_HOF. We'll be on Threads and more soon when we can be arsed to make the accounts!