The Eurogamer Podcast

Today we're joined by Dicebreaker to learn a bit about board games.

Can it really be 20 years since the PlayStation 2 was released? We revisit a video game titan.

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has had quite the journey - from its disturbing first reveal, which even Sonic's original creator wasn't happy with - to recently becoming a box office smash. But did we enjoy it? Join guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), guides writer Lottie Lynn (twitter.com/StormScribe), and our tech team's Thomas Marchant(twitter.com/hippopothomas) to discuss editor Oli Welsh (twitter.com/OliWelsh), who called it a a charmless cut-and-paste job in our Sonic movie review. Though others came away with more positive impressions, we did all agree it's probably a better Dr Robotnik origin story than a Sonic one. If you haven't seen the movie yet, we keep what there is to spoil to a minimum - but do announce when we discuss those moments ahead of time. You can read Eurogamer's Sonic the Hedgehog movie review here: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-13-sonic-the-hedgehog-movie-review-a-charmless-cut-and-paste-job

We've been having a lovely time with Dreams, the Media Molecule game that's been in early access for almost a year, and in development before the PS4 was even revealed. Despite this, there are still questions about what Dreams is, and what you get and can do in the final game, so guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), features editor Martin Robinson (twitter.com/vics_viper), senior staff writer (twitter.com/Clert) and Digital Foundry's Tom Morgan (twitter.com/cataferal) try and put them to bed - from its short story mode and how much that matters, to whether opening creations up to self publishing or other forms of funding would be a good idea. Also - we recorded this episode on Monday, a whole day before Martin's dream mentioned in the episode intro turned out to be true. I'm hoping he dreams about Shenmue 4 next. Of course, audio might not do the game justice, so here's some further reading from Eurogamer's coverage of Dreams to help: The Dreams campaign is stylish but... is that it?: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-12-the-dreams-campaign-is-stylish-but-is-that-it Why did Dreams take Media Molecule seven years to make?: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-14-why-did-dreams-take-seven-years-to-make The best Dreams games we've seen so far: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-19-best-dreams-games The Power of Dreams: Game Creation - How Does It Actually work? https://www.digitalfoundry.net/2020-02-15-the-power-of-dreams-game-creation-how-does-it-actually-work

Have you played Outer Wilds yet? You must! A glorious little solar system filled with dynamic forces! A time loop that encourages exploration! A puzzle to solve and a culture - several cultures - to uncover. And a game so good it was crowned Eurogamer's game of 2019. And yet some people have bounced off this game. The ship controls, the art style, the daunting task that lies ahead. In this week's podcast, guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) is joined by features editor Christian Donlan and USGamer's Jake Green (twitter.com/jake_k_green) to make the case for one of the most interesting games of, well, ever really - as well as a full spoiler discussion of our favourite moments and mysteries for those who have played it to the end. We have plenty of further reading for you this week, including two pieces from Donlan and Jake about the game: https://www.usgamer.net/articles/outer-wilds-review https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-12-31-outer-wilds-goty-2019 The Noclip documentary on how Outer Wilds was made, which we mention briefly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbY0mBXKKT0 And several books we discuss during the outro: 'Isaac Newton', 'Time Travel' and 'Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood' by James Gleick 'Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You: A Guide to the Universe' by Marcus Chown 'Driving Mr Albert' by Michael Paterniti

A quiet January for new releases has been helped with the arrival of Temtem, a Pokémon-inspired MMO available now in Early Access - which has caused enough of a buzz that servers have struggled to keep up with demand. Join a full compliment of guides staff - guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), guides writer Lottie Lynn (twitter.com/Stormscribe) and USGamer's Joel Franey (twitter.com/joelfraney) - who explain how close it is to Pokémon, how much the MMO parts matter, and between the queues to log in and other rough edges that come with any Early Access release, whether it's worth your time yet. If you want to read more, Lottie wrote a piece explaining why Temtem proves Pokemon is a genre of its own now, and if you are jumping in for the first time, our Temtem starters page can help with the all-important opening choice: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-01-24-temtem-proves-that-pokemon-is-a-genre-now https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-01-23-temtem-starters-crystle-smazee-houchic-7011

What makes a good Double-A game? You know, the games that might not have had the biggest budgets or the best marketing, but which still made your life a bit brighter with their gimmicks and sense of simple fun. We've been looking at Double-A games over the last few months with our new-ish feature series, and we wanted to delve into more about what makes a Double-A tick, the things that exclude a game from becoming Double-A, and also the next logical question - is there such a thing as Single-A? Join features editor Christian Donlan, guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) and Metabomb's Ed Thorn (twitter.com/FromEdward) on the podcast as we discuss what makes Double-A so special. And, once you're done, you can read our on-going archive of Double-A Team features here: https://www.eurogamer.net/archive/double-a-team

As you might have seen from the massive number of Steam player concurrents, a lot of people have had The Witcher on their mind since the release of the Netflix show, us included - so much so that we wanted to discuss it on the podcast. Join guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), reporter Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) and USGamer's Hirun Cryer (twitter.com/HirunCryer) for their thoughts on the adaptation. Though we don't delve too deep into the story of the show, be warned there are a few spoilers along the way if you are planning on watching - so consider doing so before listening. Here's some articles we mentioned during the podcast for further reading: So you finished The Witcher on Netflix - what next? (Cian Maher): https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-01-07-so-you-finished-the-witcher-on-netflix-what-next The internet's best covers of that Netflix Witcher song (Tom Phillips): https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-01-06-the-internets-best-covers-of-that-netflix-witcher-song The Witcher 3 just had its biggest day ever on Steam, four years after release (Tom Phillips): https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-01-02-the-witcher-3-just-had-its-biggest-day-ever-on-steam-four-years-after-release Geralt is the perfect hero for the soul crushing instability of our hellworld's gig economy (Nic Reuben, VG247): https://www.vg247.com/2020/01/10/witcher-geralt-freelance-gig-economy/

Join guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100), news editor Tom Phillips (twitter.com/tomphillipseg) and guides writer Lottie Lynn (twitter.com/stormscribe) for a preview of what's coming in 2020, as well as a few predictions of our own. As mentioned, we recorded this before we broke up for Christmas, so expect a few unanticipated delays to slip through (such as Ori and the Will of Wisps to March 11th) from the dates we mentioned. And here's The Last of Us Part 2 interview we discussed towards the end of the episode: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-09-26-on-fridging-joels-return-and-revenge-a-short-chat-with-the-last-of-us-part-2s-writer Thanks for listening as always, and we'll be back on a regular schedule from mid-January. Happy New Year from us at Eurogamer!

As you might have seen on the site, we recently published our Games of the Decade, where we discussed 30 games that defined the last 10 years. As well as that list of 30, the original plan was to also choose one single game that best defined the decade. We discussed it a lot in the office, and we even got as far as recording a podcast, with the intention for our editor Oli Welsh to decide it live during that episode. And, as you might have seen, in the end we didn't do that. Still, we wanted to give you the episode anyway, because it's a good discussion about how we approach lists like this, and as you'll hear, why it's actually really hard to pin it down to just one definitive game. That said, at one point Oli got very close. Be sure to give yourself a pat on the back if you can correctly guess what it was ahead of listening... Here's features editor Christian Donlan, reporter Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) and editor Oli Welsh (twitter.com/oliwelsh) to discuss Eurogamer's Games of the Decade choices. Our Games of the Decade archive: https://www.eurogamer.net/archive/games-of-the-decade

Stadia, the new streaming service from Google, has launched in state that, to quote Digital Foundry's tech review, is far from ready. Deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) - who has been playing Stadia and reporting on the launch - guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) and reporter Imogen Beckhelling (twitter.com/immybeck) discuss its rough launch, from an unconvincing business model to accusations of promises broken over game performance, but also the potential of its promising tech and what Google should do next to win over players. Further reading: Stadia's bizarre business model means it's swimming upstream at launch: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-11-18-google-stadias-bizarre-business-model-means-its-swimming-upstream-at-launch Stadia tech review: the best game streaming yet, but far from ready: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-stadia-tech-review Digital Foundry on Red Dead Redemption 2: does Stadia live up to its pre-launch promises?: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-red-dead-redemption-2-stadia-analysis Google responds after Stadia owners accuse it of breaking promises over game performance: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-11-25-google-issues-statement-after-stadia-owners-say-it-broke-promises-over-game-performance

There's a lot of anticipation around this year's Pokémon game, Sword and Shield - it introduces the eighth generation of creatures, a new region based on the UK and is the first original Pokemon game for the Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, the end result is a bit of a disappointment. Guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), guides writer Lottie Lynn (twitter.com/Stormscribe) and USGamer's Hirun Cryer (twitter.com/HirunCryer) join Chris Tapsell (twitter.com/ChrisTapsell, who wrote our Pokémon Sword and Shield review) who explains why, despite taking one step forward in some areas - such as an excellent new roster and the introduction of the franchise's first open area - it takes two steps back almost everywhere else. You can read our Pokémon Sword and Shield review at Eurogamer.net: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-11-13-pokemon-sword-and-shield-review-a-shadow-of-a-former-great

After a huge departure for Call of Duty with Black Ops 4 last year - swapping out a traditional single-player story for a more in vogue battle royale mode - this year's game, Modern Warfare, is back-to-basics; a soft reboot which not only sees familiar faces returning, but also attempts to court controversy with its campaign. Unfortunately, despite being a fantastic looking, sounding and playing shooter, the campaign - as well as some of multiplayer - left us cold, with guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100), reporter Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) and Digital Foundry's Tom Morgan (twitter.com/cataferal) explaining why. Also - an apology for the poor audio quality this week. You may have noticed recent episodes have sounded much better, but a technical hiccup meant we had to rely on a simpler set up again for this episode. Hopefully we'll have improved audio again for next time!

With the port of The Witcher 3 on Switch attracting a lot of new and returning players, we - editor Oli Welsh (who wrote our original The Witcher 3 review in 2015), senior staff writer Robert Purchase and video producer Zoe Delahunty-Light - decided to pool our Witcher knowledge to discuss the things you should definitely prioritise and watch out for on a new playthrough. You'll be Novigrad you listened!

As it's Sega Week on the site, we thought we'd run a bonus podcast paying homage to none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. Instead of deciding the one definitive best Sonic game, we wanted to discuss the best of Sonic in all kinds of ways to celebrate his rather diverse past - from best 2D and 3D games, best racing game, best spin-off, and other increasingly niche categories - as well as remembering how we individually first came across Sonic in the first place. (Has anyone else met him?)

As you might have spotted on the site this past fortnight we've been busy looking at the rather brilliant Apple Arcade, talking about games such as Where Cards Fall, Hexaflip and What the Golf. Features editor Christian Donlan has been flying the flag for us, who - alongside editor Oli Welsh (twitter.com/OliWelsh) and guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) - discuss how Apple has managed to pull off one of the most satisfying new platform launches in recent memory - and not simply because it has the right games.

Following the likes of Cadence of Hyrule and Fire Emblem, Nintendo's streak of incredible Switch games continues with a remake of a Game Boy classic. Guides Editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) and features editor Christian Donlan join news editor Tom Phillips (twitter.com/TomPhillipsEG) who explains how a special Zelda game has been preserved for a new generation of players, all while adding in some welcome quality of life touches and new ideas along the way, such as the Mario Maker-esque dungeon building mode. We also touch on some (fun!) development facts of the 1993 original and ask which other Zelda games deserve the remake treatment. Our Zelda: Link's Awakening review: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-09-19-the-legend-of-links-awakening-remake-review-a-dream-come-true

They say puns are the lowest form of humour. And yet - if you're a long time reader of the site, you'll know we take them very seriously. With Eurogamer turning 20 years old this week, guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100), reporter Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) and features editor Christian Donlan delve into our long tradition of straplines - something we put a surprising amount of time and effort into - for a special birthday episode.

The addition of overpowered mechs in Fortnite's latest season has riled up not only the pro players, but seemingly everyone else playing too. Guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) is joined by fellow Fortnite enthusiasts news editor Tom Phillips (twitter.com/TomPhillipsEG), reporter Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) and features editor Christian Donlan to discuss how season 10's changes have affected the game, as well as a look back at Fortnite's short but incredibly dense history to see what defines a good season and how the game's constantly evolving nature can prove both a blessing and a curse.

It feels like the success of Fire Emblem: Three Houses has taken everyone a bit by surprise - we knew it'll be brilliant, but it's seen the best-selling launch for the series as far as UK charts go back and, perhaps as a result, has resulted in a lot of questions as people get to grips in what appears to be a very demanding game. The good news is the part-strategy, part social-sim is a lot more flexible than first appears, so guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) sat down with reviews editor Martin Robinson (twitter.com/vics_viper, who wrote our review) and USGamer's Hirun Cryer (twitter.com/hiruncryer) to help answer the many questions - from the best House to choose from, whether the Classic 'permadeath' mode is worth it, and how it compares to Persona - you might have. Read Martin's review on Eurogamer.net: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-07-25-fire-emblem-three-houses-review-a-tactical-masterclass

This episode is all about Auto Chess - games such as Teamfight Tactics and Dota Underlords - which has become the next big thing on PC, and a bandwagon several big publishers are jumping on. Guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) asks in-house experts deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) and Metabomb's Ed Thorne (twitter.com/FromEdward) what makes them so captivating, why the Auto Chess name doesn't make sense, and after going a little off the rails with our dream Auto Chess line-ups, the best way to get started if you wanted to play yourself. You can also read which is the best auto chess game for you on Eurogamer.net: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-27-which-is-the-best-auto-chess-game-for-you-heres-our-handy-guide-to-the-major-players

Trust Nintendo to release spin-off Zelda and Mario games this summer and both turn out to be as good as their main entries. We wanted to shine the spotlight on Cadence of Hyrule, a Zelda game by the Crypt of the NecroDancer team Brace Yourself Games - a non-Nintendo studio - who has made a remarkably Nintendo-like game. Join guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), features editor Christian Donlan, US Gamer's Hirun Cryer (twitter.com/HirunCryer) and Gamer Network platform developer Thomas Merchant (twitter.com/hippopothomasj) to talk about what makes this Zelda game different, but also surprisingly similar. Plus! We go over your ideas for which other studios who might do interesting work with other Nintendo properties. Christian Donlan's review of Cadence of Hyrule on Eurogamer.net: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-28-cadence-of-hyrule-crypt-of-the-necrodancer-review-zelda-fans-rejoice-because-this-is-the-real-thing

Our final podcast of E3 2019 sees guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) join our away team to discuss what it was like being on the ground at this year's show - from our first timers, reporter Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) and staff writer Chris Tapsell (twitter.com/ChrisTapsell), to veterans Johnny Chiodini (twitter.com/Johnneh) and news editor Tom Phillips (twitter.com/TomPhillipsEG). As well as contending with jetlag and a subdued showfloor, the team go through the games they saw behind closed doors that stood out the most - including Cyberpunk 2077, Control, Zelda: Link's Awakening, the Final Fantasy 7 remake, John Wick Hex, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Pokémon Sword and Shield. Some of the team's coverage discussed on the show: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-12-weve-seen-another-50-minutes-of-cyberpunk-2077-gameplay-is-it-cyberpunk-yet https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-19-an-interview-with-cyberpunk-creator-mike-pondsmith https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-12-a-conversation-with-the-artist-behind-that-cyberpunk-2077-poster https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-13-after-an-hour-of-playing-it-control-seems-extraordinary https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-17-carrion-is-disgusting-and-i-want-to-play-it-again-immediately https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/call-of-duty-cinematic-experience. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-11-weve-seen-two-new-pokemon-from-pokemon-sword-and-shield

After seven livestreams, several late nights and a lot of coffee, we made it - E3 2019 is finally underway. Our away team is running around the E3 showfloor covering what's just been announced, so in the meantime, guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), features editor Christian Donlan, deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) go through each press conference to rate how each publisher fared. All E3 2019 announcements in one place: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-05-09-e3-2019-guide-conference-times-stream-links-predictions

E3 2019 is almost here! Guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), features editor Christian Donlan, deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) and reporter Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) discuss what they want from this year's show, and what they expect to see from the likes of EA, Microsoft, Ubisoft and many more. Our full E3 2019 conference schedule guide: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-05-09-e3-2019-guide-conference-times-stream-links-predictions

Eurogamer is relaunching its series of 'best games' features, starting with the Nintendo Switch, and we thought what better way to explain why we're doing it, and how we've settled on the games we have, than doing it live on the podcast? Join guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), reviews editor Martin Robinson (twitter.com/vics_viper) and features editor Christian Donlan (not on Twitter) as they try and narrow down the entire Switch catalogue into just 15 games you must play. Eurogamer plans to update this list regularly, so remember this is our choices as of May 2018, as it'll likely change over time. Read our best Nintendo Switch games list here: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-05-23-best-nintendo-switch-games-2026

Detective Pikachu is a weird film, and if you're like us, you inevitably have a few thoughts on how it all pieces together. Join Eurogamer's biggest Pokemon fans - staff writer Chris Tapsell (twitter.com/ChrisTapsell), news editor Tom Phillips (twitter.com/TomPhillipsEG), social media manager Paul Watson (twitter.com/WalnutSoap) and guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) - for a bonus spoiler podcast as they share their thoughts on the Detective Pikachu ending and much more - including yes, that Lickitung scene. Needless to say, if you haven't seen the film yet, we highly recommend doing so before listening to the episode! Read Chris Tapsell's Detective Pikachu film review: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-05-03-detective-pikachu-review-warm-fuzzy-but-just-a-little-too-timid

There's nothing Final Fantasy fans enjoy more than debating which is the best game in the series - so with features editor Martin Robinson declaring on the website how "the best Final Fantasy is even better now that it's portable" with the arrival of FF12 release on Switch, now is the perfect time to get into it ourselves on the podcast. Martin (twitter.com/vics_viper) joins guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) and Digital Foundry's Tom Morgan (twitter.com/cataferal)to explain what makes Final Fantasy 12 is so special - and so divisive - and why the remaster means it holds up better today than other entries in the series. Spoilers - it comes down to the font. We also (eventually) solve the mystery of how it's related to another fan favourite Square Enix game.

It was no secret both PlayStation and Microsoft were working on new consoles, but it was Sony who was the first to release concrete details of its next system - for what we assume will be called the PlayStation 5. Join guides editor and host Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100), staff writer Chris Tapsell (twitter.com/ChrisTapsell) and Digital Foundry's Tom Morgan (twitter.com/cataferal) as they discuss what the PS5 specs mean and what they want to see from next-gen - plus our predictions for launch games and the next Xbox's name for good measure.

The Ace Attorney series is breaking new ground this week, with a remaster of the Phoenix Wright trilogy making its console and PC debut. It probably explains why, despite having such an ardent fanbase, few in the Eurogamer office have played an Ace Attorney game. Podcast host Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) is joined by two long-time fans of the series - social media manager Paul Watson (twitter.com/WalnutSoap) and Outside Xbox's Andy Farrant (twitter.com/farrantula), as well as USGamer's Hirun Cryer (twitter.com/HirunCryer), who played Phoenix Wright for the first time recently - to explain why fans love the series so much, and why there's no 'Objections' to saying the trilogy remaster is the perfect place to start. (That'll make sense once you play it.)

At EGX Rezzed 2019 in London, Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) hosted a live podcast featuring editor Oli Welsh (twitter.com/OliWelsh), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (@wyp100), reviews editor Martin Robinson (twitter.com/vics_viper) and contributor Malindy Hetfeld (twitter.com/yourkyotowife) answering your questions on reviews and the review process.

Hello! And welcome back to the Eurogamer Podcast where we're getting very excited about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the latest game from the team behind Dark Souls. This week Christian Donlan is joined by Ed Thorn, Hirun Cryer and Keza MacDonald.

Well, who saw this coming? The original Diablo is now available as a digital download - for the first time ever - courtesy of GOG and Blizzard. Guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), editor Oli Welsh (twitter.com/OliWelsh), senior staff writer Robert Purchase (twitter.com/Clert) and features editor Christian Donlan reacquaint themselves with a forgotten classic, and discover the similarities - and surprising differences - between Diablo old and new. We also touch upon how the Diablo originally came about - it was a turn-based game once, did you know! - as well as its future, discussing what we'd like to see from Diablo 4, and what could possibly be holding it back. And how do you pronounce Diablo, anyway?

If you've played the demo or early access, it was clear Anthem - BioWare's new games-as-a-service loot shooter - would be a fascinating if flawed game, and unfortunately the full game only emphasises what a mess it is in places. Guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), news editor Tom Phillips (twitter.com/TomPhillipsEG) and guides writer Chris Tapsell (twitter.com/ChrisTapsell) join Anthem reviewer and Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh (twitter.com/OliWelsh) to discuss its many foibles, but also what works and the things that could pull us back in again - all while we try to keep our food metaphors and Destiny comparisons to a minimum.

Apex Legends - the new game from Titanfall studio Respawn Entertainment - has had quite the journey. Leaked one minute, playable the next, and suddenly it's seen a staggering 25 million users to cement itself as one of the biggest battle royale games - all in a matter of weeks! Four of those players - guides editor Matthew Reynolds (@Crazyreyn on Twitter), reporter Emma Kent (@GoneEFK on Twitter), guides writer Chris Tapsell (@ChrisTapsell on Twitter) and Metabomb staff writer Ed Thorn (@FromEdward on Twitter) - talk about what makes it such a success, and why it stands out from the competition enough that it doesn't need to worry about Fortnite or PUBG - provided it gets those all-important updates right.

We're doing something a little different this episode - senior staff writer Robert Purchase (@Clert on Twitter) recently interviewed 2018 Costa First Novel Award Winner Stuart Turton (@stu_turton on Twitter) about how a lifelong diet of games influenced his book, murder mystery the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - often without even realising it - for a piece on Eurogamer.net. As a lot that hit the cutting room floor in the writing and editing process, we turned the interview into a podcast. Whether you've read the book or not, it offers some great insight into how books and creative projects like this come together, and if you have, there's a bonus spoiler-heavy chat towards the end that might help address (some!) of the mysteries remaining in the story. We had to ask! You can read Bertie's piece here: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-02-06-how-a-lifelong-diet-of-games-influenced-the-seven-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle

2019 gets off to a flying start with Resident Evil 2, a remake that manages to meet some very high expectations in reviving the most fondly-remembered entry in the series. As well as why it's such a brilliant remake, guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) and reviews editor Martin Robinson discuss their shameful anecdotes from playing the original Resident Evil games, what Lickers remind (some of) them of, and predict the next game in Capcom's hot streak of January releases.

It's January, so you know what that means - we ignore all the games we didn't get round to finishing in 2018 and start looking forward to brand new ones instead. Join Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100), Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) and Oli Welsh (twitter.com/oliwelsh) for a lengthy chat on games we know are coming out this year, the images we *think* are out this year, and assess what Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have in store. Spoilers - Nintendo fans have a lot to look forward to. Plus, we stick our necks on the line and each offer a prediction for the year ahead. Will streaming finally become a thing, and will we hear about new consoles in 2019? At the very least, Wes has worked the name of the next Xbox. You heard it here first. Quick note - the release dates mentioned may change, which is exactly what happened with Dead or Alive 6 and Tropico 6 mere hours after we recorded the podcast. Sorry about that. Have a great 2019!

It's the end of the year, so you know what means - it's time for Eurogamer to reveal its best game of the 2018. Though we've done things slightly different this time - there is no weighted list - we still crown one game as the year's finest. But what will it be? Join Eurogamer senior staff - reviews editor Martin Robinson, deputy editor Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100), guides editor Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) and features editor Christian Donlan - as they explain what took the top spot and why, as well as a lengthy discussion over the one other game that under close consideration. Eurogamer's top 30 games of 2018: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-12-30-the-30-best-games-of-2018

Monster Boy is back! Christian Donlan and Matthew Reynolds discuss the excellent Dragon's Trap remake and its spiritual successor Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, attempt to grasp the complex lineage of the series and why the original Wonder Boy 3 was such a revelation back on the Sega Master System. Plus! Some 1990s games mag nostalgia thrown in for good measure.

After recording a podcast about how it's such an exciting time for Pokémon fans with Let's Go, you can't quite say the same for those looking forward to Fallout 76, the online spin-off in Bethesda's role-playing series. Unfortunately, after playing both the beta and the full release, it ranges from middling to being a bizarre, boring, broken mess as described in our review. Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) joins our in-house Fallout experts Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) and Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) to chat about what went wrong, and whether the game could possibly redeem itself one day.

The Eurogamer office's most obsessive Pokémon fans Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn), Tom Phillips (twitter.com/tomphillipsEG) and Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) discuss Chris Tapsell (twitter.com/ChrisTapsell)'s Pokémon Let's Go review - a game he enjoyed more than originally expected - our Community Day stories from a particularly strong year for Pokémon Go, and our collective horror at the first look at next year's Detective Pikachu movie.

We're breaking from our regular fortnightly schedule to give you a bonus episode: a spoiler-filled chat about Red Dead Redemption 2. Our reviewer Martin Robinson (twitter.com/@vics_viper) returns to discuss his thoughts on the endgame and how the story wraps. Needless to say - if you haven't completed Red Dead 2 yet and don't want things spoilt for you, then give this episode a miss!

This week Martin Robinson (twitter.com/@vics_viper), Tom Phillips (twitter.com/@tomphillipsEG) and Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/@Crazyreyn) discuss the biggest release of the year, Red Dead Redemption 2 - from what works and what doesn't in Rockstar's latest vast open world endeavour, to Tom's reporting on the working conditions of overtime and crunch involved in making the game.

Another year, another Call of Duty game - and one everyone in the office is glued to thanks to Black Ops 4's take on the Battle Royale genre. Sounds like a good excuse for a Eurogamer... CoDcast? Host Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) is joined by Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100), Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) and Digital Foundry's Tom Morgan (twitter.com/cataferal) to discuss whether Blackout makes for a worthwhile single-player replacement, the improvements over the beta, the surprise inclusion of split-screen, and where Call of Duty goes from here. Plus, our favourite feature of all - crashing through every window we can find.

Life is Strange is back, and so are the Arcadia Baes! Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) sits down with Aoife Wilson (twitter.com/AoifeLockhart) and Johnny Chiodini (twitter.com/johnneh) to chat about the first episode of the second - surprisingly different - series. While this isn't a fully-fledged spoilercast like previous Arcadia Baes episodes - it's more of a review-style chat - we dig deep into the themes and predictions - and as such, there are some slight spoilers if you're wary of them. Enjoy!

Whether you're making your way to EGX in Birmingham this year, or have ever been to one of our parent company Gamer Network's other events, you may have wondered how it all comes together. Reporter intern Emma Kent (twitter.com/GoneEFK) and Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) sat down with head of content (and former podcast host!) Tom Champion (twitter.com/TomChampion) to explain how the events team makes it happen.

Shenmue is back in our lives thanks to a recent remaster. Our second returning episode of the Eurogamer Podcast sees Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) and fellow Shenmue obsessive Martin Robinson (twitter.com/vics_viper) do their upmost to brush off the nostalgia and see how well it actually holds up now - as well as some thoughts on what the long-awaited third instalment will be like. Join us for a game of Lucky Hit, won't you?

It wouldn't be Eurogamer if we didn't try something new with the podcast at least every couple of years, so here we go again. The Eurogamer Podcast - it's back! Our first returning episode sees Matthew Reynolds (twitter.com/Crazyreyn) and Wesley Yin-Poole (twitter.com/wyp100) talk to Chris Tapsell (twitter.com/ChrisTapsell) about an article he wrote earlier this year - 'I was in Football Manager and I don't know how I feel about it'. It's an account of how Chris spent his youth breaking into professional football, and ended up in one of the most world's most popular video games because of it (and without spoiling things, there's some unexpected results) and is a brilliant, personal story whether you follow football or not. Oh, and the book Chris recommends is 'No Hunger in Paradise' by Michael Calvin, if you're interested.

Surprise! The podcast is back and there's a special guest. Chris and Donlan are joined by Tom Francis, the developer of Gunpoint and upcoming Heat Signature.

After some weeks, Eurogamer's nice mates return with another hot podcast episode that does its best to avoid video games.