NicheCast

The summer of gaming is upon us - we talk up the recent Sony State of Play conference, Microsoft's upcoming Xbox/Bethesda conference, Geoff Keighley's thing, and more with our predictions. Can they all replace the E3 of old?

This week, we talk up the big Embracer Group buyout of Square Enix studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos, and Square Enix Montreal. Is it good that so many studios and IPs are under one umbrella? What about Square's new focus on crypto stuff and AI?

This week, we talk up blockchain and NFT crap in games. Former Nintendo America boss Reggie talked up monetizing content you've made or acquired in games. What if you could monetize and sell content you have from games? On the blockchain? Is it even worth it?

This week, we talk up both old and new mods for games, which mods are allowed and not allowed, how most Twitter mods are bad, and how seed oils are especially bad for you. Maybe our spaceman son will finally buy Twitter?

The onslaught of remakes and remasters continues, the corporate machines must be fed, the consumers must consoom. Now, we're also getting blindsided by random sequels to once-beloved games or series. Does anyone want these? Do people buy them? We talk up consumerism this week.

E3 2022 is officially dead. Can it respawn as some kind of new event in 2023? We also talk up recent big and small releases during spring, new site developments, and more!

The 2021 Game of the Year — what big games came out this year? How many are actually worth being called game of the year? We discuss the biggest and best releases of 2021, and which game could be both our community GOTY and our staff GOTY.

Steam Deck vs Switch – who will win? People were immediately comparing the two devices even though they are wildly different and for also very different audiences. Will the Steam Deck spur Nintendo to finally reveal some kind of Switch Pro, or a new console entirely? Can the Steam deck bring back physical PC games? Will Microsoft try to get Game Pass onto the SteamOS somehow? We discuss all these things in our latest show.

E3 2021 – Can the event survive and thrive despite being online only? Will there still be big reveals like in years past, or have all the big dogs split off to host their own events like Nintendo, Bethesda, and more? We talk about E3 2021, our predictions, and how the show might still have a chance at the greatness it had in prior years.

This week, we talk backwards compatibility in the gaming industry. Have Sony and Nintendo abandoned their classic games? Why is backwards compatibility not really a thing anymore, and why is Microsoft of all gaming companies the only one that seems to be pushing it? Has Microsoft done enough for backwards compatibility support, or can they do more? How important is backwards compatibility, and game preservation overall? We talk up all these points and more!

The current state of Sony and PlayStation, has the company fallen from grace, and abandoned their roots and what made the company great? Are their recent moves and acquisitions bad compared to Microsoft and Nintendo? We take a deep dive into Sony's past and discuss where they did things right and possibly where things have gone wrong. Can the once-edgy and bold company return to what made them definitely win two console generations?

Microsoft finalizes their acquisition of Bethesda, and Zenimax Media. What does this mean for the future of their franchises? They've already said “some” of their future games will become exclusive to PC and Xbox. Where do they cut the line? Does it make sense to have their core franchises locked to PC and Xbox, while more general franchises like DOOM can remain multi-platform? We talk up this huge shift in the industry.

The new rumored Nintendo console --- how can Nintendo improve on their successful hybrid console? The new model is rumored to have a 7 inch OLED display, and a 4K capable dock. What else do they need? Will Nintendo continue to dominate in Japan, and worldwide? Also how can scalpers be stopped? Will scalpers lead to a potential collapse of the industry, where new consoles and new game aren't being bought as much due to pricing? We talk over all of these big questions.

Is Blizzard Entertainment too forgone to be saved? A lot of PR blunders have come out of the once-beloved developer, now a subsidiary of Activision. Can they win back enough goodwill to get their old fans back? Is it even possible to please old fans and new fans that only care about Overwatch or the newest World of Warcraft expansions? Is Diablo IV and the Diablo II remaster enough to win people over?

We discussed our upcoming Media Partners program, President Trump's executive order that almost banned Tencent in the US, and the hackers behind the Twitter celebrity Bitcoin scam being arrested- including the 17 year old “mastermind.”We then moved onto virtual YouTubers suffering DMCA claims and community subtitles being retired, the return of G4, the Intellivision Amico Special Event, and how companies react to perceptions and outrage.

We discussed the slew of announcements, releases, and drama over the month of June! This included Total War: Troy being free for 24-hours on launch via the Epic Games Store; all while Tim Sweeny says he attributes the Epic Games Store giveaways to increased sales… On other platforms.

We discussed Serious Sam 4, its Stadia exclusivity on consoles, and its possible censorship. This lead to discussion of the assumption of guilt, and the fear of creation.We also discussed Tencent, and their recent buying and expanding spree [1, 2, 3], as well as what the Chinese tech giant could mean for western gaming.We talked about Denuvo Anti-Cheat being removed from Doom Eternal, and the risks of kernel-based software.

We talked about the recent Ghost of Tsushima gameplay, and Unreal Engine 5 being reveled on PlayStation 5; along with Tim Sweeney's comments on the upcoming console's storage architecture being ahead of of anything on PC.After dabbling in what the future of controllers and gameplay could be, we discuss the announcement of Paper Mario: The Origami King, and Denuvo Anti-Cheat being added to Doom Eternal.We also cover the Chinese PlayStation Store being taken down to “improve security” right after Chinese gamers accessed foreign games, Evo Online, and the disastrous business model for The Culling: Origins.

We talk about the leaks of The Last of Us Part II (but not the content of the leaks themselves), the negative effect of hype, Animal Crossing: New Horizons strong sales, War of Ashird‘s Kickstarter campaign, and more!

After the cancellation of E3 2020, we discuss whether we dodged a bullet, thanks to what the show could have been. We also discuss the sheer audacity of GameStop's actions during this difficult time.We discuss remakes such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, Resident Evil 3, and the nature of remakes in general. We also delve into the rumors surrounding new Silent Hill games, and Sony's alleged attempts to buy several prominent IPs from Konami.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick says Blizzard games are not a platform for his politics. We talk up the reoccurring hot button issue with video games that have really hamfisted, possibly nonsensical politics or political themes. Why is it that more games these days have cringe-worthy, heavy handed politics and political themes? Is there a line with how thick a developer or writer lays on political themes? The Niche Gamer crew talk this up and how the industry has been embracing or avoiding this.

Google has launched their Stadia platform this week. By our own reporting as well as the industry at large, it has been a massive failure riddled with issues, broken promises, and a platform that is largely unusable. We talk up what the Stadia launch failure means for the industry, and what could be coming next.

This week, this was our second live podcast – we didn't really have a planned topic of the week. It's also been awhile so we just talked current things with the website, the industry, and more!

This week, as this was our first big live podcast – we didn't really have a planned topic of the week. We talk up our E3 2019 predictions, hopes, and the current state of the industry leading into the summer.

In this week's show, we talk up Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the new argument of difficulty in video games over accessibility for disabled gamers, or gamers who just want easier games.

A new episode of the Niche-cast, only with a special guest! Playasia!

In this weeks episode, we talk up yet another censorship debacle - this time surrounding Dead or Alive 6 and the holier than thou folks who are ironically running the EVO tournament. We also evaluate the current performance of the Nintendo Switch, and what we'd like to see in the future.

We have a Christmas / end of 2018 recap podcast while struggling to overcome NyQuil and exhaustion. Come laugh at us talk up 2018 in gaming - including all of the good, bad, and the ugly. We also talk up our own Game of the Year choices, predictions for 2019, and more!From all of the Niche Gamer staff here at Nakatomi Plaza, may your holidays be warm, safe, and hopefully free of terrorists!

In this weeks episode, we recap the latest news, more Sony nonsense, and give thanks to the most important stuff in our lives - tis the Thanksgiving season!We also did a slight rebranding in dropping the podcast title "Niche Gamer-cast", we always felt the name was a bit too long and we're trying to make it sound more snappy! Let us know what you think in the comments.

In this weeks episode, we recap the latest news - as well as the new push to remove anime boobies in new games launching for various gaming platforms. Spicy!

In this episode, we talk up new announcements here and there, new rumors, and of course - the onslaught of games for this fall and holiday season. Can the Niche Gamer staff survive?

In this episode, we talk up recent Nintendo announcements, pre-Tokyo Game Show announcements, and the overall status of the Nintendo Switch operating system, its features, and their recently launched Nintendo Online network.

This week, the Niche Gamer staff recap games we're playing and reviewing, our latest editorials, and of course - the hot button issue of games being made easier, alongside other pundits or writers using video games as platform to further their agenda. This can naturally include trying to make playing games more presentable and not have negative connotations.

This week's podcast is a return to form of sorts, and we have a full house from our staff. We talk up recent games, recent trends, and of course - the ongoing narrative of games being anti-consumer, that is if the developer has some kind of political agenda.

This week, we talk up the five years of Niche Gamer, including retrospectives on things we saw, things we enjoyed, things we're loving now, and of course, things we're looking forward to with our burgeoning website and community.

This week, we talk up the auto-banning systems that have been implemented by the developers behind Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, among others - and how differently we approach our community.

This week's podcast is a full roundup of our experiences this year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. We talk up our picks of the show, surprises we noticed, and all the games we played or saw.

This week we talk up the regular gaming news and our big reveal - our new parent company, Pretentious Media!

This week, we talk about Subnautica's sound designer Simon Chylinski getting fired after an internet hate mob was sicced on him for posting his own personal opinions online, alongside regular news and stuff.

We talk about the NeoGAF owner admitting a mix of identity Politics, authoritarian left hostility, and unfair moderation ruined its community, as well as the latest gaming news.

We recap the entire year of 2017, including the biggest games, the biggest news, and the biggest surprises. What impressed or shocked us the most? This is a long one, and we get a bit belligerent towards the end of the show.

We talk up the new Catherine remake/enhanced version and all of the dumb controversy surrounding it, that one certain character, its sexual themes, and more. It gets a little wild, there might be talk about brown eyes, sexting, and all sorts of debauchery. Just in time for the holiest time of year – Merry Christmas!

We talk up the Nintendo Switch and its success, its library of games, as well as what to expect in the coming months and year – including what the Switch needs to really be more competitive in the modern gaming console market.

Narrative in gaming - it constantly changes, evolves, and is (hopefully) improved upon. However, there are the usual detractors within the industry that continue to insist gaming needs to "grow up" to be accepted as art. We debate this, including the inane arguments over so-called misogynistic games, and more.

Tokyo Game Show 2015. The biggest news to come from Japan - how was this year's showing? We talk up our favorite reveals, trailers, and more.

Is it racist? We tackle the subject of censorship yet again, and whether or not a recently re-discovered game is truly racist, and where the cultural boundaries lie.

We recently covered a series of interviews that Famitsu had completed with various top Japanese developers. These interviews focused on the AAA development scene in Japan, as well as the adoption of the Playstation 4, and more. We talk up their points, the current state of the Japanese games industry, and where it could go from here.

Are remakes becoming too common? Will there be a point where you're playing a game and the remake for it is already happening? All hyperbole aside, we talk up the Resident Evil 2 remake, and if new games can stack up to old ones. This includes re-releases of games from the previous console generation, with simple HD-treatment for current generation consoles.

Why are we seeing Kickstarter's getting funding via outside companies? Is this disingenuous? Are Kickstarters becoming a new form of courting publishers? What does this mean for the future of crowdfunding, now that we're seeing more and more Kickstarters openly (or in some cases, quietly) receiving large investments alongside fan donations?

This week has been a rough one for the fans waiting for Nintendo and Intelligent Systems' upcoming Fire Emblem Fates, on the Nintendo 3DS. The game has recently launched in Japan, while importers have taken it upon themselves to put a magnifying lens on various things in the game - including dialogue involving a female character, Soleil, and just exactly what her sexual orientation is.We disseminate the rumors and heresy and get down to brass tactics, because ultimately the entire discussion was centered around a manufactured controversy.

E3 2015 has come and gone. We talk about the games we saw, the games we played, and the crazy experiences we had in Los Angeles.