Gaming Couch

Episode 73 of Gaming Couch! And just in time for the holidays! Balancing a game is very difficult. There are so many variables to consider to ensure that all 'builds' are viable and will be enjoyable to play. With that, there are times that one play style will be better than another. I feel that Dark Souls isn't too bad if you just dump things into Health and Strength, allowing you to mow down enemies and bosses with ease. There is no real answer to 'How do you balance a game?' Which can be annoying, since many games suffer from some bad balancing even in a small area. With the holidays around the corner I hope you enjoy them with whatever it is you do. So take care and a merry or happy whatever it is you celebrate! Smartboy

Episode 72 of Gaming Couch! Giving an in depth look a Phoenix Point today! It is a good game. It really is. I am happy I bought it. There is better combat when compared to XCOM. There are factions and global relations. There is more management with your troops and equipment. It's all a big thumbs up from me. The negatives are really just nitpicks...which is upsetting... Lastly, I am doing a small give away on Steam. A game to give away. Details at the end of the episode. Thanks again for listening, Smartboy P.S, I didn't mention it in the episode so I will here. Hot DAMN fighting human units can be much harder than fighting Pandorians in this game.

Episode 71 of Gaming Couch and, hell why not, a new season! I'm honestly saying its a new season because I haven't done that in a while...maybe one day I'll had some structure to it......anyway. What is your take on DLC? Is it a good thing? Or some horrible cash grab? We have seen DLC used in many, many ways over the years. Some of it good and some of it bad. I want to try and get to the bottom of it. I want to answer the question, "Is DLC actually good for us?" It is a tough question no doubt about it. As always, tweet at me on Twitter with any thoughts you have on the subject. @G_C_Podcast Take care, Smartboy P.S. Streaming services are like DLC for T.V. aren't they? Hey, you want the net game or episode in this story? Fork over the money. Just a funny observation, nothing more.

Wooo Episode 70 of Gaming Couch! Just wanted to say 'woooo' because 70 is a big number. ANYWAY. I got Pokemone Sword so today's episode gets to stay pretty relevant! Go me! Overall......I'm split on the game. It feels like two different games at the same time. There are some REALLY, like REALLY, strong parts of the game that I love. And then there are many smaller not so good parts of the game. Luckily those REALLY strong points are keeping me going through it as I want to see the end of the Gym Challenge (yes, it actually has a name in this game, not just 'Go get the shineys'). Have a listen and enjoy! Smartboy P.S. some of the new Pokemon designs are awesome Golisopod is my main boi now. Loving him.

Episode 69 (nice) of Gaming Couch! I got to say. I'm VERY slow on some of the best games out there. I recently was blessed by finding the game Battle Chef Brigade made by Tinker Studios and published by Adult Swim Games. It does so many things well. You like puzzle match 3 games? Got it. You like Beat 'em ups? Got it. You like lite RPG elements with choosing a loadout? Got it. You like cooking? Got it. You like crazy over the top and slightly anime? Got it. Seriously, this game is addicting. The characters are funny and charming. The way the matches are balanced between finding ingredinents, fighting monsters, cooking, and the clock is done perfectly. Seriously this is a game you need to buy. Here is the Steam page for it. Give it a go. It's 20 bucks and well worth it. ---> https://store.steampowered.com/app/452570/Battle_Chef_Brigade_Deluxe/ Take care, Smartboy P.S. I have nothing more to say. This game is amazing.

Episode 68 of Gaming Couch! Here was an impromptu episode idea thanks to discord chats. When should a consumer be allowed to to refund/return a game they bought? Should it always be allowed? Or should there be a standard beyond 'I didn't like it'? As the consumer it is important we understand the game we are purchasing and as a developer it is important to release a polished game with some standard of quality, not a buggy mess. I have some thoughts. It's what I do. Share thoughts. Let me know what you think of twitter @G_C_Podcast! Smartboy P.S, Know what's great about providing a free service? No buyer's remorse! You can enjoy or hate it without spending a penny!

Episode 67 of Gaming Couch! I must admit I had a bit of a funk these last two weeks. Very busy and stressful with work and traveling over the weekends. Last week I just didn't want to make an episode. I didn't have it in me and it wouldn't have been good quality. So I disappeared for a bit. Now I'm back and on schedule. This week I wanted to make a different kind of list. I hang around facebook and joined the All Things D&D group and really enjoy. One day I saw a post asking 'Any advice for a new DM?'. Well, that got me thinking. I got what ended up being 9 tips for new DMs. It was 7 but I thought of 2 on the spot. Improving is the best you know? Sit back and enjoy! I'm glad to have you back for another listen. Smartboy P.S, one day I will think of something witty to put in the P.S section.

Episode 66 of Gaming Couch. I got into a weird funk this past week. It's nothing bad. This week I just want to take some to reflect, that's all. We all have a limited time we can spend on games. Sometimes the time spent isn't about getting the newest hit game. Sometimes its about dusting off the old consoles and going back to old reliable. Back to a game you know will engage you or challenge you in some way. Something that you will always enjoy playing. That's why I enjoyed the Remasters of Crash and Spryo. I might not have ginded through all three games on both trilogies yet but I know, when I get the time over the summer, I can burn through them and have a good time with it. This is a shorter funkier episode but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. I'll see you all next week, Smartboy P.S. Remember, you matter. Do something that you love every now and then. You deserve it.

Episode 65 of Gaming Couch! My god....Wendy's you mad lads....what the hell is this? For those of you who don't know Wendy's, the fast food chain, decided to jump on the RPG wagon and released their own RPG game and adventure called Feast of Legends. No, it isn't a module or anything for DnD. It is it's own thing, with its own classes, rules, and character creation. When I first came across it I read through it and I was cringing so hard and hating it. The puns and references are just so bad. However, this rule set, 100%, is good. Anyone who has played RPGs before will look at this and be able to understand it and respect the time put into it. Is it advertising for Wendy's? Of course. Was there love and care put into making it? Yes, yes there was. There are maps made for the adventure, NPCs, dungeons, custom monsters, unique magic items, custom art work for some classes and monsters, and a bunch of unique classes to play as. Yeah, it only goes to level 5 so it isn't that long but to be able to play it all th eway through one weekend? I'd be down. Honestly, I may cringe at what I am saying with the names and puns but I would have a good and fun time playing it. I may not like your food Wendy's but I respect your RPG. Give it a read and try it out. It's totally free: https://www.feastoflegends.com/ Enjoy your week everyone, see you next time. Smartboy P.S. Seriously, after going through this rulebook for this episode, I do want to play it.

Episode 64 of Gaming Couch! OH BOY! I love me a game where I can control a gaint mech and blow everything up. It is so satisfying. This is why I am so happy that my friend showed me Lancer by Massif Press. A RPG that focuses on those big, wonderful machines that carry big guns and makes even bigger carnage. Though I haven't played it YET, I have had plenty of time to look over all the mechs and figure out how I want to play. It's very flexible with how you build a mech. With all of these choices there are some mechs and licenses that stick out. I figured this week we'd take a crack and that long list of mechs and look at the best five of them, at least from where I'm sitting. Have a listen and check out the game for yourself. Massif Press website: https://massif-press.itch.io/ Take care everyone, Smartboy P.S, Mech combat is some of the best. If you know a good mech fighting game hit me upon twitter. I want to check it out.

Episode 63 of Gaming Couch! And not exaclty a happy one. Playing Phoenix Point and getting into Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 recently got me thinking a bit. Games are a greatway to answer some really tough, hypothetical questions. What if a virus broke out that could kill all humans? What if I was forced to choose who to rescue during a zombie attack? We can ask these questions and give answers. However, what if we had to actually act out these answers, even if it is in a game and not real? I think games give us a chance to be immersed enough in things that have really happened, or could really happen, and find out how we would handle it. This is certainly a conversation we should be having. Quick little link. The opening talks about WoW's Corrupted Blood outbreak and how it turned into a real life case study. Here is one article about it. If you want more, simply google 'WoW Corrupted Blood' to get plenty of information. https://allthatsinteresting.com/corrupted-blood As always, take care. See you next time. Smartboy P.S. This suden outbreak of heat has me feeling a shower is in order. You know, a nice relaxing shower.

Episode 62 of Gaming Couch! This first week of school hit me hard. I'm a little sleepy with this recording so bare with me. We at going to look at Phoenix Point, a game from some of the team behind XCOM. I got to say, it's like XCOM+. It takes some good stuff from XCOM and develops it further. I believe there are some things that need to be balanced, especially with the troops you get becoming very powerful at higher levels. Some quality of life things need polishing before the main release. Otherwise, the game is there and it feels so good to play. Smartboy P.S......I have nothing creative to add in this time....have a smiley face :)

Episode 61 of Gaming Couch! Today, we look at PlatinumGames newest title Astral Chain. I gotta say, so far it is a great game. I am enjoying the combat mechanics of it greatly and even some of hte slower parts of investigating a crime scene are done well and build into the story nicely. Here are my thoughts on the game along side a break down of how everything comes together nicely. Enjoy! Smartboy P.S. If you are getting ready to go back to school, good luck. You got this!

Episode 60 of Gaming Couch! And time for another list. Because lists are nice and organized. It's awhile since we've talked about Dungeons and Dragons. Recently I have been able to play a few more sessions, start up a new campaign, and even get Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 in there also. I figured, at this point, why not talking about D&D again? A game about fantasy and adventure, part of the adventure is slaying great terrible beasts. The world of D&D has so many great and unique monsters already made to be dropped into your world for players to fight. I thought it was high time to come up with a quick list, a top 5, of the best monster I feel the offical published works have to offer. No homebrew stuff here. I'm not knocking homebrew, I've done plenty of it myself. I just want to focus on what the mad lads at Dungeons&Dragons Inc. have to offer us. Smartboy P.S. Summer is on its way out and I might cry. Soon it will be back to teaching. Oh, how my life will have structure anda solid schedule again!

Episode 59 of Gaming Couch! Satisfactory is the name of the game and I could not think of a better pun. 10/10 would pun again. Satisfactory is a factory building sim from the team over at Coffee Stain Studios, who have worked on Goat Simulator, Sanctum 1 and 2, and Deep Rock Galactic. The game is currently in Early Access and can be picked up on Epic Games for 30 bucks. All in all, it's a good deal so far. In this game you are dropped on an alien with nothing but a crate, a buidling tool, and your wit to create the most efficient factories possible. Now, you aren't graded on it at all. You simple build better factories to improve your production rate so you can reach higher tiers in the game quicker. It uses a simple reward system. You find a new mineral to use and used it to better your factories? Well, now you have access to Oil to better your power grid. You found enough oil to complete a milestone? Now you get trains to transport materials access long distances quicker. You Don't NEED to make all these things to complete the game. It just helps reach the end goal faster and it feels so satisfying to make better and better factories. The same says it all. 'Satisfactory'. Correction: I said Coal Generators give 150 for power. I meant a FUEL Generator does that. Coal is only 50. Smartboy P.S. This is a game that has me staying up until 3am once again. To me, that's a good sign.

The long awaited (really 24 hours) part 2 of the Play NYC event this year! This is the recap and time is spent talking about all the different games I had a chance to play and interact with the devs. It was an amazing time. All the details are in the episode. Below will be links to websites/social medias to the various games/studios if I found them online: Deckfighters: https://pandahawkgames.com/ Zero Inbox: https://www.zer0inbox.com/ Techlandia: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danackerman/techlandia Run and Gun (Halo + Mirror's Edge): http://mharrisgames.com/ Galactose Pastries in Space: http://zeroedengames.com/ Dogfight: http://dogfight.petricoregames.com/ Totem (Found them!): https://www.othermoongames.com/ Steel Assault (Kickstarter is closed and funded!): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/43113410/steel-assault Antipole DX: https://saturninegames.com/site/antipoledx Outpost Delta: http://outpost-delta.hiddenachievement.com/ Kristala: https://www.astralclocktowerstudios.com/home/projects/ Disjunction: http://www.disjunction-game.com/ And finally, Playcrafting continues to do a great job with these events. Check them out: https://playcrafting.com/ And with that, I'm signing off for now. Probably going to take a long nap. It was a long week followed by a great weekend. Take care all! Smartboy P.S. I have nothing clever to add this time.... sad face :(

Part 1 of 2 covering Play NYC happening at the Metropolitan Pavilion this weekend hosted by Playcrafting! Hell of a day. For now I just want to cover some big stuff. No recaps of games (don't worry) or anything, just giving a big shoutout to Playcrafting and Decoy Games. I had the honor of participating in Decoy Games first ever Unleash Cup. It was a great day. Even though I will not be giving a play by play of the tourney, I do have some words to share and feelings to express. It was a great event and I am happy to have a chance to share it today. Seeing as it is Saturday, we will be having a Part 2 coming out that will be a recap and cover all the games I got to play at Play NYC. I saw some familiar faces and met new ones. All those details coming in Part 2 which, depending on when I finish a script, will be uploaded Sunday Night or Monday. Stay connected on Twitter and FB to hear the news. Next week will be a normal scheduled episode. Smartboy P.S, I'm going to finally finish eating my sandwich.

Episode 56 of Gaming Couch! Despite what I said in episode 55 I actually spelled 'episode' currently the first time here! Progress and improvement! So here's the thing. In real life, people have different skill sets. Some are really good with computers others are excellent public speakers while some are really good with money and finances. However, many games fail to capture that. Video games at least. Within the past few years that have been many board games and card games being released that welcome co-op play where players pick different characters with different stats/abilities. What about video games though? Most 'co-ops' have player 2 being a carbon copy of player 1. That's why I want to take time and look over the games Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes and Clandestine. These co-op games make players work together to achieve a goal yet each player must complete different tasks and fulfill widely different roles to succeed. I highly, highly recommand both these games. It can be hard explaining them since the real fun and experience from them comes from playing with others so I will do what I can to descirbe it to you lovely people. BTWs, link to a round of Keep Talking Nobody Explodes with two actual bomb squad guys. There's two parts, heres part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYunaBkn9Ng Smartboy P.S: Next weekend is Play NYC and there will be a re-cap each day but late at night. I will post on Twitter and FB when each episode goes up!

Episode 55 of Gaming Couch! I swear everytime I go to write 'epsiode' at the start of the description I end up spelling it wrong somehow. The human mind is an amazing thing isn't it? We all love music. Whether it's just a few songs or a whole library of various genres everyone has their taste in those sweet beats and rythms. As video games have become a major piece of media with millions of people into the hobby game music has become it's own genre. Many games that get a lot of praise give some credit to their soundtrack. You can set the scene for the game or movie all you want. Without the music and sounds to accompy it the real emotion you want people to feel will be missed. So here is my first attempt at my own internet guilty pleasure and making a 'Top 5' list. There will probably be more to come so enjoy this first one about the greatest, and most impactful, pieces of music in video games. Smartboy P.S. This is the episode that I had planned to got up last Sunday, but gave the slot to the Game Devs of Color re-cap. So this weekend you will get this episode today, Saturday, and a regularly scheduled episode on Sunday 5pm, as always.

Episode 54 of Caming Couch! (Heads up, the walls in my apartment are a bit thin. So when my neighbor decided to take a shower when I was already deep in recording...yeah. If you hear a slight hiss/hum while I am talking that was it. I tried to talk a little louder to keep myself clear during that time). I am tired and going completely unscripted today, even though I made the change after episode 50. Remember, the rules don't matter, and this is something important I want to talk about while it is still 100% fresh in my mind. Anyway....you know how I had this idea and plan to do this list episode today? You also know how there are no rules for the podcast? Yeah...we aren't doing that today. I had a chance to go to the Game Devs of Color Expo and there was a great message I get there that just needed to be shared. So that's today's episode. Talking about being the creator you want to be. If there is a game you want to have and story you want to tell just do it. We'll talk about some games that I had to chance to play and also share some stories from the developers about them. If you like anything you hear in the games check out their socail media and websites: Super Space Club: https://grahamoflegend.com/superspaceclub/ Portal Tamers: @portaltamers and https://www.facebook.com/PortalTamers/ she dreams elsewhere: @studiozevere and https://www.studiozevere.com/ Fiction Sphere: @einherjarteam and https://www.facebook.com/TeamEinherjar Chrono Ghost: @NITETIMEStudios and http://nitetimestudios.com/ (Seriously, 10 bucks on Steam. Let's go) As always some love for Team Decoy Games and Swimsanity! They are the ones who put this expo on my radar and are always friendly to everyone who comes by and says high. Give them a shout at https://www.facebook.com/decoygames and @DecoyGames Lastly, Playcrafting heads many of these events that go on in NYC and other areas. Check them out online. The next Play NYC is coming up August 10th-11th and I highly recommend going. The experience is great. https://playcrafting.com/ This is Smartboy signing off for now. And seriously, in case I managed to horribly ruin the message in the episode, I want to make it clear. Don't be afraid to make something. If you want to create something, do it. Make it. Be ready to change it, tweak, even fail at it the first time just to do a second take. Just make and know that you can always continue it and make it better. Smartboy

Episode 53 of Gaming Couch! I got nothing else to say. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and OneShot are both amazing games and I just want my verbal words to take charge here and express everything. So no real description this week. Give a listen! Hope you are doing alright with this heat wave. My new best friend is my tower fan. Take care, Smartboy P.S. Do something memorable this week. It's a great week for it.

Episode 52 of Gaming Couch! This past week I got to experience I number of AWESOME games. Yes, I have had my fair share of CTR NItro Fueled and Super Mario Maker 2 but there was more. Some awesome board games have been added to my library. I already looked at Dice Forge and House of Danger last week but after that episode went up I got Stuffed Fables and oh man....It's a REALLY good game. Huge shout out to Plaid Hat Games for this one. Join me today with an indepth review of the game and some first time experiences playing the game. Because it is an adventure game that is big on a story narrative I want to warn people of spoilers for the first story of the game. When you hear me call out the warning hop to 59:20 to avoid hearing about the results of the first tale and jump straight to my final thoughts. Check out Plaid Hat Games website: https://www.plaidhatgames.com/ Don't forget I am now on Twitter (@G_C_Podcast) for daily updates and random tidbits as well as reviving the Facebook page for weekly updates. You'll see the red couch and know its me. Take care, Smartboy P.S: I hope you like the summer heat. It isn't my thing...but it is really beautiful out.

Episoe 51 of Gaming Couch! First off, CTR NItro Fueled Grand Prix is awesome! Okay, got that out of the way.... I recently had the pleasure of picking up two different and very unique games to play at home. DIce Forge and House of Danger. Dice Forge is a competitive dice game were you simply need to score more points then everyone else by game end. However, to do that you can buy new die faces to 'forge' onto your two dice to change the odds. Need more gold? Pick up a die face that gives you more gold and swap out an old face for it. Need some extra points? Spend some Sun or Moon stones and grab a monster card to give you a boost. There is obviously some element of random/luck to it however you get a say in what the luck can choose from. House of Danger is an old-school choose your own adventure that can be played alone or as a group. Explore a strand mansion as a psychic detective searching for answers about a strange nightmare. You get to pick what direction to go or what challenges to face that ultimately will lead to some ending, with different endings avaliable. I have yet to complete the story as we are taking our time with it but it is a great time regardless. Consider reading more about the games at Board Game Geek and pick up a copy! Total worth the purchase of either game. Dice Forge: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194594/dice-forge House of Danger: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/251420/choose-your-own-adventure-house-danger Take care everyone. I look forward to seeing you all next time Smartboy

Episode 50 yeah! *Insert air horns and confetti here*. Yup it is true. Episode 50 is here and we have broken our 1 year anniversary that I managed miss because I am an idiot. So let's call this our 1 year Anniversary elebration. Joys! Because of this wonderful event, and CTR Nitro Fueled being an absolute blast to play I thought it would be a great time to talk WHY we game. Not about making a good game but about why we play games right now. Our own storied about what got us into gaming. I want to share my own story and some highlights in my life that helped get me into the gaming community/hobby and spark that passion for games. ALSO! Twitter is now a thing for me! I'll have the twitter handle on the profile page and here in the descritpion. GIve it a follow and feel free to drop a tweet anytime @G_C_Podcast The scehdule will stay the same going forward but I want to reignite that spark in me that made me want to do this in the first place. So expect some changes this summer! Smartboy.

Episode 49 of Gaming Couch! Getting to 50. Yes. So I finally got a Nintendo Switch and decided to buy Cadence of Hyrule. And HO BOY, it's a game alright. There is a lot to talk about with this game. Both positives and negatives. We'll take the time to really dive into the game and pick it apart. It is both Crypt of the Necrodancer AND Legend of Zelda at the same time so there is plenty to dissect here. It's going to be a long one so strap in kiddies. Overall, I'd say this game is a good experiment for future games to come. It is an amazing game yet it isn't garabage. A stepping stone if you will. We needed this game to happen so we could have more flushed out games of its type later (Think of what Binding of Isaac did for us. Without it, Crypt of the Necrodancer might have never happened). I'd say wait for a sale to buy it. Lastly, the cutscene at the end. Cadence isn't home yet at the end of the game. We leave on a stary sky and I got a feeling.....Shovel Knight might be next! I hope you all have a lovely week and enjoy what the summer has to offer. Signing off, Smartboy

Episode 48 of Gaming Couch. Getting closer and closer to episode 50. Facebook recently yelled at me saying activity on my page is low. Eh....i'll see about reviving it for episode 50 along with the Twitter account. I talk about SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech for a bit and there is some story spoils I talk about. Spoilers start at 20:15. Jump to 24:35 at that point to skip the spoilers. NOW. TALK ABOUT GAMES. I didn't watch E3, I never have watched or attended it. HOWEVER, I think this year there was only one thing that really mattered. Cyberpunk 2077. Let's be real here, that game is going to do great things for the gaming community and culture as a whole. I believe it will be landmark for gaming (most likely in a good way. If it's bad though....oh boy....). So what about Cyberpunk that makes it so amazing? Yeah the future tech is really, really cool and the same could be said for Steampunk related things. However, I think what makes these two genres amazing is the narrative and characters in them. There is something about these Punk games that have some of hte greatest characters ever. And not just as a 'heroic' or 'villianous' staple but in there interacting with the world created around them. These characters feel so natural in these fiction worlds or vastly different technology and they make it so believable and natural. That is why I love these games. The attitude in them. The way characters take control of what's happening in the story and not just being a slave to it. So, would you kindly just sit back, enjoy the episode, and check out SteamWorld Quest and Cyberpunk 2077 if you haven't. Smartboy.

Episode 47 of Gaming Couch. Getting close to 50! I'm exicted. Are you excited? Alright, let's talk about that title. Many games have violence for whatever reason. It could be just bloody messy fun, it could be hair raising and challenge, it could even be meaningful and harrowing. Whatever reason games with violence often have a bad guy that you just really need to punch good in the face. On that note though, what is the best kind of combat? Since there are so many ways to look at combat and include it in games we can have trash mobs that are really just there to impede your progress while also having big bad bosses that mean something to you. This is often seen in RPGs however it can pop up in other areas. My personal tastes have developed for fights that matter. Fights that have agency. Be it a group of enemies that will put stress on my resources or a big baddy that I have been told about and acts as the stopping point for the story until I beat it. Those are the fights I love and let me tell you why. We are finally in full swing for the summer here in NY. Hope you are enjoying the weather where ever you are. Smartboy

Episode 46 of Gaming Couch! (And it feels good) I believe we are at a new Golden Age of gaming (or fastly approaching one). There are so many games on the market, both good and bad, which is great. Instead of a race for the newest and better hardware we're looking at what games we want to create instead. Indie developers are allowed to take big risks on making a new type of game that can be published on mutliple platforms, while big game companies are able to take the safe bets and provide the support and consoles for everyone. There are plenty of engines to learn on and make your own game even if you lack programming skills. God damn it's good to be alive right now. Smartboy

Episode 45 of Gaming Couch! Mods are cheat codes. Change my mind. That's not in a bad way. In fact it is great. We have a new way of playing and experiencing games in today's world. No longer are we limited to what whacky things the developers put into the game. Now, we are able to MAKE those whacky things happen and develop a community around it. The moding community is huge with whole websites dedicated to just modding PC games. Like GameFAQs with cheat codes in the past we got Nexus Mods now to let use downloaded and mess with our favorite PC games. Sure, the hush-hush whispers of gaming secrets and manuals of old days are no longer needed due to this rise of information sharing online. It is sad to see that day and age go. However, it is a sign of progress. It is a sign that developers are comfortable with people tweaking their creations for new ways of playing. It is a sign that more and more people are developing the skills needed to make the next great game. All in all, mods are good. I reminisce about the old days a bit in the episode. About sharing secrets and finding out which were real and which were fake. Even though I miss them it's a great time to be alive and able to tweak GTA so I can walk around as Jesus and hulk punch cars. Sorry if my voice became a little rough during the episode. For reasons unknown my voice just suddenly dried out and got rough while recording. And to everyone, have a great week. Summer is here and god damn I hate humidity. Smartboy

Episode 44 of Gaming Couch! When is innovation bad? I think it is bad when it takes a forumla that works so well and just tears it apart and rebuilds in an attempt to be 'new' or 'creative'. Honestly, don't try to fix something that works. Instead, ADD to it. An innovative game that works takes a formula that works and just tweaks it slightly usually by adding in something or going back to older styles. Binding of Isaac became a big hit and all it did was take the dungeon style layouts of old Legend of Zelda games and added twin stick shooting to it (Okay I know there is more than that, you get my point though). From there we saw games like Slay the Spire and Enter the Gungeon pop up because the formula was there thanks to Binding of Isaac they just added something extra to it. Speaking of Isaac, adding things, and innovation, perhaps there is an episode on Mods in order.... Real quick, I open the episode talking about At Sundown: Shots in the Dark. I think this game deserves much more attention and a bigger player base. It is a top down, multiplayer shooter but everyone is invisible in the dark and flashes of light reveal characters. The dynamic lighting is super important to this simple shooting game and it is amazing. Check it out, its on all platforms. https://sundown-game.com/ Until next time, have a beautiful week. Smartboy

Every now and then the name 'TeaLeaf' pops back into my mind. Back in college I met this person called TeaLeaf on Xbox Live while playing Halo Reach. At the end of a match this message was sent to me from this player and it just had some really bad stuff in it. You ever get a message from someone that raises red flags about them, hinting suicide and what not? It was one of those kind of messages. Now, I moved out of my college dorm not long after meeting TeaLeaf, I was done with college and going back to my mom's place. After that I didn't touch my Xbox or Xbox Live much. Finally, after some time passed, I jumped back on, and looked through my friend's list and sadly, I didn't see TeaLeaf any where. Not the name nor the pic (the name might have changed, but I would've remembered the Profile Pic and all). Now, maybe there is a reason. Like me TeaLeaf moved and stopped touching Xbox, I don't know. But since I don't know the exact reason behind it, and I still remember those red flag raising messages I got, there is a chance something worse happened. I don't know, and it bothers me that I don't know. After all this time I figured I'd just drop the story online since I have this platform now. Maybe in a crazy chance of fate I get answers about my old friend TeaLeaf. I'm going to drop the link to the suicide lifeline website as well as the number. If you're going through something reach out them. Reach out to friends, family, someone, someone that you can physically meet with. And if you know someone going through this, do it for them. Reach out to them. It's always good to have someone there. https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 1-800-273-8255 Or, I could be a complete idiot and TeaLeaf just changed name and pic and I never noticed. Regardless, take care everyone. It was a beautiful day today and it will be a beautiful week. Smartboy.

Episode 43 of Gaming Couch on a great and happy Mother's Day! Real quick, I did take the first few minutes of this episode to talk about Detective Pikachu. Even though it isn't anything major, and I mostly talk about the opening, I still feel there is some big plot stuff that happens in those opening minutes so SPOILER WARNINGS TO YE. If you don't want to hear that babble (either because spoilers or 'fuck that this a gaming show, not a movie review) skip to the 9:00 mark. That is when the game talk starts in. Let's talk ESports. The whole area of gaming where people compete in a video game to usually win money and shiney things, as well as bragging rights. It isn't my thing but if it is your thing, cool. You do you fam. My one question is when does it stop being a 'video game' and turn into a 'sports game'. At the core these ESports are based in a video game world, which means the rules of a video game are still there. Is the game balanced? Is it playable? Are their bugs and glitches? Can people pick up the game and easily understand it but take time to master it? It's not just about the competition, it still has to be a video game. Today we'll take time to look at AVARIAvs. (I STILL can't say that name right, so sorry about that). This game does so many things right, including making player effecting debuffs (inverted controls, static screens, and what not that the player has to work around while having hte debuff). And it's a very simple concept, have a team of 3 characters beat the shit out of another team of 3 characters. So why, after being pushed back about 6 months for development, was it released on May 9th, only has 7 reviews on Steam (at the time of posting this) and isn't really heard about online? I think it's because they focused on being an ESport. THe development was pushed back because they got some deal with a company, or something, that gave them more money, etc. The development got pushed back because more money=more game. I'm happy with that. They had an opportunity and took it. However, I think it lead to a downfall for the game because during that extra time of development, instead of having a BETA open for players, it was a focused closed BETA that was built like a Tournament. That really cut backs on the number of players you can get for testing. Details are in the episode. Give it a listen. If you are a competitive player/ESports kind of person I still recommend the game to you. If you are more like me, interested in what the game offers the player instead of the competition, I wouldn't recommend it. Take care, and happy Mother's Day to you if it applies to you. Otherwise, Happy Mother's Day to your mother, Smartboy

Episode 42 of Gaming Couch! Feeling good today. I bought some expensive LEGO train sets. Adulting is fun. Real quick, let's go back to an older episode and talk about difficulty. I swear, looking at posts and videos online, the easiest way to start a fight between two people is to mention the difficulty of a game. After that, things blow up and the riots start. Does it matter if someone else, other than you, beat the game on a harder or easier difficulty? Does it matter if that person cheated to beat a Single Player Campaign? One that has no impact on you because, again, the game is Single Player? No. No it doesn't fucking matter. If someone is happy to have beaten a game because they cheated, or happy because they beat Ultra Nightmare Mode, good for you. The fact that you played and enjoyed your experience means the game, and the developers, did their job. I got a good feeling about this week. I hope you all, regardless of when you listen to this, enjoy your day and have a better one tomorrow! I'm going to go cook some chicken. Smartboy

Episode 41 of Gaming Couch! I'm still a stuffy in the nose. I can talk which is great you just might hear a few sniffles in the episode. Allergies are terrible. If you don't have allergies plus avoid them and don't get them, it's bad. For today's episode let's talk Minecraft. April 23rd gave us a great update to the game, version 1.14 Village and Pillage! I won't go into big details hear about it as I talk about it plenty in the episode. I can easily say though this is what I needed for my Minecraft experience as I was too busy being stuck in Tekkit Lite for so long. I'm going to ride this wave until we see Minecraft Dungeons released! For now everyone take care. I don't have anything witty to say this week, just a good farewell! Smartboy

Episode 40 of Gaming Couch! As always, thank you for listening. Risk The Rain. I mean, what are we risking? The rain itself? Or do we risk losing something by being in the rain? In fact, for a game called Risk The RAIN there is a big lack of rain in it. Enough with the bad jokes, onto the episode. I picked up Risk of Rain 2 the other day on a whim. I can easily say I am not blown away by it, yet I am engaged enough by it to continue playing it throughout its Early Access run. I still have some characters to unlock so I need to keep playing to at least unlock them. As for the game itself, it has some enjoyable third person shooter elements to it, with a class system that has you pick one class that has access to set of abilities, and the fun chaos of a rogue-like where you don't know what you will get during a run. It is a tasty recipe. Its Early Acces does show. As one class in it seems to be much more powerful then the others and some item trading mechanics will hopefully be modified for a less 'randomly lose this' in the future. If you haven't played the first Risk of Rain keep your eye on this one. It could very well be the next game you are looking for. I'll keep on it and I hope to rope some friends into it also for that fun multiplier it is built for. I hope you all survive the changing of the seasons. I'm off to go donate blood. If you have never given blood try it. Giving blood feels good as you are healthy enough to give sweet life juice to someone else who is need of it. Take care, Smartboy

Episode 39 of Gaming Couch! Enter the Gungeon is and always will be an amazing game for so many reasons. This week, I'm not going to go over what makes the game so great. Instead, I want to look at the final mark it left for us. The DLC/Content Patch/Whatever you want to call it. One last run through the Gungeon to finally put it to rest. The Devs have put it to an end in terms of development and now us, as players, finally have a chance to end the Gungeon by killing the past of the most important character. Of course, super spoilers ahead. I am happy to see the end of the game this way. It could be me getting emotional at midnight while recording this after doing a few runs. Probably not though. It is a nice way to end the game and gives one last big challenge to the player. All in all, I am happy to have this game in my library. Thanks again for listening. I will be sure to stop hitting my microphone in the future, Smartboy

Episode 38 of Gaming Couch! I got a little emotional with this one. So excess the 'bangs' you hear in the recording, that was me flailing my arms and accidentally hitting the mic. The reason I got emotional is the topic for today. Education in gaming. Or gaming for education. I'm not talking about games made to teach a certain skill or content. I'm talking about how your normal game and teach someone a useful and real world without being in your face about it. You can play a game and suddenly start to pick up on various skills as you try to beat/win the game. I've seen it happen to me personally as well as others. And when it happens to my students, and I see them change and grow based on the games they have played, it is very rewarding. This gave me a chance to revisit the game Furi, as well as spotlight the board game New Angeles and the RPG Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 (the same game that Cyberpunk 2077 is based on!) So give my mindless rant a listen and see what you think! Quick update, starting next week 4/14/19, episodes will be posted at 5pm, not 8pm. I want to see if that is an improvement for listeners, as it isn't so late on a Sunday night and it might be a better time to listen. We will try that on for a few weeks and see what happens. Now if you'll excuse me, there is an update for Enter the Gungeon I need to get through. Until next time, Smartboy.

Episode 37 of Gaming Couch! Let me take a stab at this whole Article 13 business. For those of you who don't know last Tuesday (March 26th) this big law was passed in Europe with this big concern called 'Article 13'. I want to take a minute to look at this and try my best to break it down and give my opinion on what this means for the internet as a whole. Yeah, it has me a little scared. You know what though? This is the Internet and we are the voice of the Internet. We won't be silenced. It just can't happen. Below I shared two links to two different articles, one from CNBC and another from CNN, that cover the story. Give it a read. There is plenty of other information out there if you want to do the research. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/28/article-13-what-eu-copyright-directive-means-for-the-internet.html https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/26/tech/eu-copyright-article-13/index.html Also, I need to buy a Switch. I had little interest in getting one until I saw this trailer. I talk about it a bit in the episode (didn't want only share bad things this week) and just wanted to share with you all the beauty of what this game is...and why I need a Switch now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYd_pph6RnI And good luck everyone. Spring is in the air and I am now dying from my allergies. Take care and stay healthy, Smartboy

Episode 36 og Gaming Couch! My voice keeps going spawning nonesense and other random opinions. Alright. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice came out on the 22nd. My opinion? Eh. I'm not saying its bad or medicore or anything. It just isn't for me. It's a personal thing as I believe I won't enjoy the game because of the setting and story, as well as the change in combat from Dark Souls/Bloodbourne. Take what you will of it. This is my humble opinion. So you know what I am hyped about? Freaking Minecraft: Dungeons! Yeah...didn't expect that did you? I just discovered this the other day when I started playing Minecraft again. There is very little information about it online, I will post the one article I know about here for anyone to read and watch the videos on it. It's fantasy, it's dungeon crawling, and it's Minecraft. I am so excited to see what comes of it. And the kicker is it comes out in 2019. Hell yes. Have a read --> https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/announcing-minecraft-dungeons/ And for those of you who haven't, check out Technic Launcher, a platform for playing modpacks for Minecraft. It's really cool and the things people have created (in terms of mods) is amazing. Here's the link to get the launcher --> https://www.technicpack.net/download Take care everyone and thanks for listening! -Smartboy (P.S. I want to start doing a little signature like this at the end of every episode description. Its a nice touch no?)

Episode 35 of Gaming Couch! A shorter episode. Sorry to everyone. I just wanted to drop my thoughts after hearing about CTR getting a remaster (which is Crash Team Racing by the way), hearing about Halo Master Chief Collection getting some PC love, and some other thoughts. These aren't sequels, just cleaned up games. I know last week I dropped my hopes for the coming year but maybe 2019-2020 is all about just revieving and cleaning up old games. And you know what.... I would be pretty happy with that.

Epsidoe 34 of Gaming Couch! I'm still going strange talking to myself and into a microphone! I jest, but really, I'm happy with myself to keep this going and getting things uploaded. Anyway, wanted to take a step back today. I know we're in the 3rd month of the year and I am only now saying 'Hopes for 2019'. That's because I am seriously worried right now with what we have going on. Nothing is really sticking out as a great new game. Many games are disappointing and even just a sequel or retry at the same old idea. Always another FPS game coming out, always someone taking a stab at an RPG style game. Rogue-likes seem to have fully run their course, seeing Into The Breach, Enter the Gungeon, Slay the Spire, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and Darkest Dungeon coming out relatively close to one another. I know thats a long list and that's exactly my point. We got a lot in a short time and now it seems people are taking a break from that style. What about a good immersive and atmospheric type game? Not 'VR immersive' but a 'Damn, that game made me feel some feels and was an experience' type of immersive. What about another Furi type game? A good boss rush style game that focuses on you vs the boss without any trash fights or level management to slow things down. I hope we see a mix up in the genres this year or even the next and get dev teams that really give us something new.

Episode 33 of Gaming Couch! So Jump Force is now a thing. And Decoy Games has gone onto releasing the Beta of Swimsanity! Luigi over at That Indie Studio is still cranking out The Last Hex for people. And Smash Bros continues to make waves (Sorry Swimsanity! had to give it to them). To summarize, a lot if happening with a bunch of different games. The important note here is seeing how developers care about the games they are making. Even if I don't fully enjoy a certain game I can still get a kick out of it if the Devs show some love. Whether they ar active members in the community their game has developed, or they make sure they produce a game that just looks and feels like the love and time and care went into it (Looking Slay the Spire and Hollow Knight) you can tell the Devs cared about the project. Too bad Jump Force doesn't have that feel. Real shame. Here's the link to Swimsanity!'s beta access. Took me a minute to find it. Seriously, do a google search of 'Swimsanity! game'. They've been given a lot of well deserved love. Sign up! --> https://mailchi.mp/e4bd3f709030/swimsanitybeta?fbclid=IwAR3wycwCBb9_sCXHoKIymCELHf9TIcLxBoi4F9r5IDdQA28ND6XqXfGiGvU

Episode 32 of Gaming Couch. Let's call this a new season..Season 5? Yeah sounds right. I want to get modern. I've always looked at the past in terms of games and what makes a good game. Now I want to see what the future holds and what newer, modern games have in store for us. Since I recently beat Hollow Knight and really enjoyed it, and we had an offical trailer of Hollow Knight: Silksong online now I want to follow it. I want to play it when it comes out and make an episode or two on it. Kind of like that Youtube thing, but as a podcast. With that, I have this episode of what I thought of some key parts of Hollow Knight and my hopes for Silksong. Keep the Hollow Knight spirit alive Team Cherry! Give us an awesome sequel!

Episode 31 of Gaming Couch! I'm sorry in advance. It was a rough week at work and it reflects in this episode. Not the nicest in quality in terms of what I am capable of producing. The show must go on though, and I can think about what to do in the future to improve. Now, onto the show. Music is powerful, reallllllly powerful. We remember certain events because of the music that played. Or felt a certain way because the music moved us. Let's never forget these incredibly play tunes.

Episode 30 of Gaming Couch! (Don't read the numbers they post. I have done updates and stuff so this isn't really episode '32'. Anyway...) Big old spoilers for Hollow Knight! I know the game has been out for a while. I just like to say it anyway. I have fallen in love with Hollow Knight. I finally got to playing it recently because I am a huge idiot who has been sitting on it for a year. It is a platformer yes, and it does that well. It is a good platformer. And everything else it does just works! It isn't a perfect game (there is no perfect game) yet this comes close by hitting a lot of great points. Give it a listen!

Episode 29 of Gaming Couch. I heard a man comment on something he read online about the gaming industry. This got me thinking about people and the things they create. I'll save all the details for the actual episode. I just want to let you all know something. You do you fam. If you want to make something take control of it and do it. Only you should control what it is you want to make.

Episode 28 of Gaming Couch. A lot of crazy things happen when playing/running a RPG game like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Star Wars, etc. The list goes on. I believe the most important part to all of these games, and what leads to crazy things happening, is how the players interact with the world. Obviously, it is up the Game Master to make the world, or atleast run it if using a premade, yet it falls to the players to do what they want with it. Recently, my DnD group went through a huge wave of emotion from just a few women that they have only met once or twice. And it just blows me away how they took those very short interactions and have completely changed the direction and feel of the game. It also got me thinking of this Table Top RPG that I have been reading cover to cover recently. Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. It is a game that is BIG on how the players interact in the world and try to survive. I am really excited to try and get a campaign off the ground in it. If you are interested follow the link below to get a reprint of the 2nd edition: https://dragonstrove.com/cyberpunk-2020-2nd-ed?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAyrXiBRAjEiwATI95mSz5mh1wnNS8Ko3klsWL88i7_NmOqDretMEbzFkX33y_PazZvqsYKhoCWTgQAvD_BwE

Hello everyone. Won't be doing anything new today :( Weather got me beat. We'll come back next week!

Episode 27 of Gaming Couch! First, a light read I want to share with everyone to warm the heart during this cold season. Just a famous actor sharing his love of DnD with some kids at a Children's Hopsital. Some good stuff. https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2019/01/08/Joe-Manganiello-Dungeons-and-Dragons-Childrens-Hospital-Pittsburgh/stories/201901080140?fbclid=IwAR1tGQ-0e2gjgRBejlS2vOsAWSFNqBohDQzv1yiyUdZb1HJWZ8cMADXugyA Second, I have become hooked on Into the Breach. Take some Giant Mechs, fight some Giant Bugs, all in a randomly made campaign that has you trying over and over again to win. 15 bucks on Steam, check it out.

Episode 26 of Gaming Couch. A little here and there of an idea that really comes to light at the end of the episode. I have discovered Kenshi recently. A survival, RPG, open world style game. Some cool elements to it but incredibly brutal. And Slay the Spire, with it's new final ending, really needs some Lady Luck to get through. Difficulty and Luck are hand in hand in games. Is it a good thing though?

Episode 25 of Gaming Couch. And damn, that is a loaded question. Don't worry about the length! I swear it is all good stuff. I'm not going to fill up the description with nitty gritty details. Just listen and enjoy this one. Have a happy New Year everyone. I'll see you all in 2019.