Hey! Look! Listen!

This musically-inclined episode takes a look at some examples throughout gaming history of a melody or musical motif being paired up with a character, and how the music can be used to tell us everything we need to know about the character, as well as reinforce or enhance the storytelling overall. 

Back with the much anticipated follow up to Jon Has a Wee Ramble - Episode 1, Jon rambles about GTA6, the Switch 2 and the much beloved Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. 

On this episode we take a look at the second biggest selling game of all time, under the lens of its status as a cultural juggernaut, but also under the lens of one of our hosts having changed his opinion on it recently. And after chatting about its immersive open world, its chaotic characters, and its controversies, we also take time to speculate about the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6, an obscure little game that's supposedly coming out this year.  

On this episode we cover the vague and nebulous topic of games we feel that we should like, but end up respecting and admiring more than actually enjoying. This leads us to covering the phenomenon of "eurojank", a recent game that's breaking records on Steam, a PS1-era beloved classic, and literally the biggest IP of all time.

This episode takes a look at three PlayStation 1 classics, three veritable jewels of its library, that we hadn't gotten around to covering yet. So get ready for a crisis of a reptilian nature, a simian wrangling sim, and an honest-to-goodness pioneer of early gaming in the third dimension.    

Whether you called it the Mega Drive or the Genesis, there is no denying that Sega's console is one of the most defining features of 90s gaming. On this episode we have a nostalgic chat about the black box, from its marketing position as the cool kid to Nintendo's soft boy, to the oh-so specific vibes of its soundtracks. And we talk about the games, of course: raging streets, golden weaponry, revenge-seeking ninjas, a guy who runs fast, and more.    

Despite being firmly embedded in 2025, in this episode we take some time to talk about some great games that we've recently caught up on from last year. We discuss the latest video game version of a cinematic icon, a remake of a beloved PS2 classic, a bonkers murder mystery puzzler, a narrative-driven sci-fi epic, and a hard-as-nails Metroidvania. Oh, and a game about a nun too.

A founding host of the podcast returns to discuss this middle chapter in the grand remake trilogy of the beloved Final Fantasy VII. We talk about the new versions of the story and characters, debate the open world nature of the whole thing, and wax lyrical about seeing this world from our childhood writ large.

We remain focused on the Game Awards 2024 for one more episode as we discuss the games that ended up taking home prizes, as well as the litany of new announcements that are sure to be emptying our wallets in the coming years.   Hope everyone has a great Christmas, and thanks for listening! 

Three of us gather to discuss the Game of the Year nominations for 2024, giving our opinions on each, while also trying to predict what will win versus what we would like to win. After that, we take a look at each of the Game of the Year winners since its inception ten years ago, and debate whether the show's history is just. 

PlayStation is 30 and we are old! To celebrate we each choose a game from all five of the PlayStation consoles to chat about. Not necessarily the best or most iconic games, but some of our favourites nonetheless, which each feel like important representations of their respective console.  

On this mini episode, Jon talks about his recent love affair with Cyberpunk and any other thoughts that pass through his head. 

On this episode we decide not to bask in nostalgia and take a look at two recent releases. The first is the latest in the Zelda franchise, which sees the princess herself take the leading role for the first time in a mainline entry, and casts her as a wanton bedmaker. The second is the elegantly titled Metaphor: ReFantazio, a grandiose fantasy adventure and spiritual successor to the Persona series, which sees you battling magical racism as you blaze a magical campaign trail. There will be no major story spoilers for either games. 

On this episode we reflect and get all misty eyed about some of our favourite soundtracks in gaming history, as well as discuss some killer moments in games that just wouldn't be the same without the perfect usage of a good piece of music. We also wonder if we would even like certain games so much if it weren't for their amazing soundtracks. And look here, a handy Spotify playlist that includes some of the tracks that we discuss in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4j8mnpp3spRcWNIrGFi6sR?si=2c0426ad86ec4360  

On this episode we take a look at six games that reside in the sort of niche side of things. Somewhat accidentally, we divided them into two categories. Three modern indie games that have slipped through the cracks and may be a bit forgotten against the never ending deluge of releases. And three odd Japanese games from the 90s, which certainly have their fanbases, but are also starting to feel like weird dreams that we had at this point. 

On this episode we take a look at some action adventure games, mostly from the 00s, and tie them together with the nebulous notion that each of them clearly takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda franchise. We chat about games that have you take on the roles of a wolf goddess, an intrepid photographer, and a flammable mummy, as we also get a bit nostalgic for a certain type of game that you don't really see anymore.   

On this episode we tackle quite a broad subject, the first-person-shooter genre. We talk about our favourite single-player gun fests, as well as our online experiences, dipping into the likes of Wolfenstein, Doom, Call of Duty, and Half Life along the way. We very nearly forget all about Halo, but then totally remember it, because we are master podcasters.  

The age old question. On this episode we chart the histories of Nintendo's home consoles, reflecting on their impacts on the medium, talking about our favourite games, and trying to make sense of some truly bizarre controller designs. Then we attempt to rank them, and decide, in a highly official capacity, which Nintendo console is best.

On this episode we take a break from being painfully nostalgic, and deign to look forward instead. E3 may be dead, but that hasn't stopped the major gaming companies from using the Summer to reveal a slew of upcoming games. We discuss the ones that have us excited, from shiny new IPs to dependable old franchises 

On this episode we discuss one of the most lauded indie games of the last few years, the cute but deceptively harsh Tunic. We talk about its many inspirations, from Zelda to Dark Souls, but how it very much feels like its own unique thing. We also gush about its killer central mechanic, and get nostalgic about the bygone days of the video game booklet.   

On this episode we recommend and chat about some amazing and unique indie games that we have played recently. Our discussions range from a recent indie darling that was produced by a Youtuber, to a game that is self-described as "hostile", to a loving homage to ps1 era survival horror, and not one but TWO games about fishing.

This week we take a look at what is arguably 2024's biggest gaming success story, the anarchic co-op third-person-shooter, Helldivers 2. We discuss why its madcap multiplayer works so well, while also covering its filmic inspirations and recent controversies.  

We take a brave step out of our video game comfort zone for this episode, as we discuss the global nerdy sensation, Dungeons and Dragons. We delve into its history, rising from the heady years of the 1970s, looking at it as both a business, and as a favourite pastime for legions of fans and content creators alike.

On this episode we dwell on that most violent of video game protagonists, Kratos, as we discuss the latest two games in his much storied franchise. We discuss these games' positions as both sequels and reboots, and their intimate character work and stellar combat, while also wondering if maybe they went too far in certain places.

On this episode we take a look at the two modern classics in the The Legend of Zelda franchise, discussing their boundless creativity and making comparisons to other open world games, while also being a tad wistful for the Zelda games of yesteryears.  

This episode takes a look at 16th entry in the beloved Final Fantasy series, a game that ended up being quite divisive due to the big swings it takes against the established formula of the franchise. Topics bounce between exhilarating kaiju battles, to milquetoast side quests. From amazing voice acting and localisation, to a story that tends to spin its wheels. There are no major spoilers for the game, but the whole story is covered in vague terms in order to pick out the things that work in this game, and the things that really don't.    

This week Kev shines a light on some "hidden gems" from 2023, and takes a look at some of the best games that you may have missed from last year. The games covered range from first-person horror games and weird visual novels to cute climate-themed climbing capers. Check it out to see what you might have missed. Or maybe you've played them all already, in which case your Cool Gamer pin is already in the post.

Transport back to the days of waggling remotes, as we take a look at Nintendo's colossal console success story, the Wii. We get nostalgic about playing Wii Sports on Christmas morning, soaring through the cosmos in Super Mario Galaxy, and much more. But we also question the Wii's legacy, and we wonder, despite its success, did it actually change the industry for the better?

This week for the pod we welcome a very special quest, Stephanie! Steph has been an avid gamer since she was young, and today we chat about her early exposure to games via educational games, Animal Crossing, and, of course, the Mass Effect universe.    We had a few issues with sound on this one, so apologies!  

On this episode we take a look back at gaming during 2023, starting with January and rattling through the months in the classic manner, not only discussing some of the notable releases, but also the news stories that defined the year for gaming.

On this episode we're taking a look at the big bads of the video game world. We discuss some of our favourite villains, as well as the numerous ways gaming can utilize a good villain. We also take time to chat about our least favourites too, because full positivity wouldn't suit an episode that's all about deplorable bastards.     

All four of us gather for this episode, as we discuss the nominations for the upcoming Game Awards 2023. This year has been chock full of amazing games, so we use these nominations as an excuse to discuss six of the best: Baldur's Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, and Super Mario Wonder.

In a world ravaged by horrible monsters, four survivors must brave a hazardous and slimy trek through a dark and ominous sewer, armed only with their waning courage and devices known as 'salt guns'.   Didn't quite get it out in time for Halloween, but this special episode of the pod is something a bit different, a spoooky short story, written and narrated by Liam Sheahan. Your regular programming will resume next week.  

Spider Men, Bat Men, Super Men... we cover them all on this episode as we chat about a variety of games from over the years that are based on iconic superhero IPs. Our discussion leads us from lovingly crafted modern interpretations of classic characters, to 90s arcade cabinets, to infamous video game disasters. And thank you for supporting Hey! Look! Listen! and helping us get to our 69th episode (nice).   

Happy Halloween! The Hey! Look! Listen! team are busy enjoying the seasonal fun, like pumpkin spice and low-level crimes, so for this week please accept a supercut of some of our previous content. Over the last couple of years of doing the pod, Liam and Kev have managed to cover all main eight entries in the Resident Evil franchise, as well as their assorted remakes, so here are all the discussions stitched together in one extra-long episode! It'll be the perfect thing if you happen to find yourself on a very long road trip, or sitting through your least favourite child's wedding. 

On this episode we discuss some of our favourite and least favourite openings from games, be it the opening hours in general, just an opening cutscene, or both elegant and inelegant tutorials. We talk about how important first impressions can be, and how some great game are lumbered with some truly awful opening segments, mostly inspired by a recent Bethesda release. 

On this episode Jon takes a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Starfield-developers, Bethesda, from the freedom of Skyrim, to the disaster that is Fallout 76. 

On this episode a friend of the podcast joins us for a very chill chat about all things video games. Topics range from our very humble platforms as video game content slingers, to the Commodore 64, to our deep down feelings on Bethesda. 

On this episode we dig into Nintendo's much celebrated sci-fi franchise, Metroid. We bounce around each of the series' main games, mostly gushing, but also realizing that no single Metroid game is perfect. We talk about the iconic protagonist at the franchise's centre too, and the odd mistranslation that led to her appeal. 

It's our 64th episode, so we get shockingly creative by getting nostalgic for the seminal Nintendo 64. We come to terms with our advanced ages, as we reflect on our favourite 64-bit memories, with topics ranging from amazing multiplayer experiences, to peculiar controller-design, to warm and fuzzy Christmas memories. 

On this episode we select a number of games which we believe to have perfect endings. Our choices range from perfectly executed narrative wrap-ups, to fourth wall breaking tomfoolery, to plain old childhood nostalgia. So spoiler warning for everything we talk about, but honestly, everything we discuss is relatively old at this point.  

We're talking about main characters on this episode, namely the ones we really love and the ones we really hate. In discussing our favourite gaming protagonists, we talk about strong writing and relatability, as well as a character's design being married to gameplay. In discussing our least favourite gaming protagonists, we just sort of get a bit complainy.  

On this episode we tackle the nebulous topic of the depiction of food & drink in video games, starting off with food's classic roles as chunky pixelated health pickups. As the episode goes on, however, we are interested to discover that we nearly entirely forget to talk about games that are overtly about food or cooking, as our ideas of the best depictions of food in gaming seem to go hand-hand with vibey, atmospheric games, awash with comfy recreations of the mundane.   

On this episode we set out to have a discussion on the current subscription services that have come to define modern gaming for many, such as XBox Game Pass and Playstation Plus Premium, and the conversation dovetailed off in several directions. We hit topics such as brand loyalty, toxic fanbases, and the slew of recent broken game releases, as we finally 'solve' the Console Wars once and for all. 

We dip back into the Resident Evil well to chat about the lauded Resident Evil 4, mainly because it received a phenomenal remake this year, which we also chat about obviously. We compare the two games, discussing our favourite moments, from the things they changed from the things that remained wonderfully untouched. There are some ropey impressions too.

On this episode we bounce from old first-person-shooters to Japanese visual novels as we talk about some games that are genuinely close to our hearts, but in which we cannot deny their ropier, more awkward elements. 

We get painfully nostalgic for Nintendo's first handheld device on this episode, as we share our fondest memories of the old grey brick, as well as the "Colors", "Pockets", and "Advances" it spawned. We discuss the franchises that defined the console for us, such as Pokemon, Tetris, Wario Land, and, uh, James Bond.   

On this episode we take a look at both of Rockstar Games' Western-themed epics, as we try to reconcile the quite sizable problems we have with both games with our love of their masterful storytelling and overall rootin' tootin' cowboy aesthetic. We also have find time to bellyache about the depiction of the Irish in these games, because obviously.  

All four of us gather for an episode in which we once again ask each other interview-like questions about the world of gaming. This time the questions have us discussing video game remakes, as well as what TV adaptations we would like to see in the wake of HBO's The Last of Us. We talk about the habits we have developed towards gaming as a hobby, both good and bad. And we recommend the games to each which we believe are big enough to represent entire genres. 

This episode of Hey! Look! Listen! is all about everyone's favourite merchandisable plumber, Mario. Ignoring his penchant for karting and partying, this episode instead ranks each and every one of the traditional Mario platformers, which means it covers the length and breadth of both the history of Nintendo and the history of gaming as a whole.

On this episode we turn our back on video games to instead focus on video game adjacent media, as we discuss HBO's recent television adaptation of The Last Of Us, starring Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and a bunch of funky fungi.