Podcast appearances and mentions of jim trinca

If you were lucky enough to have lived through the 7th console generation as a young adult with enough disposable income to buy a couple of games per month, you ate damn well. You probably have countless fond memories of each big new watercooler game that the studios of the day were firing out with alarming regularity, and you had no idea what the hell "games as a service" meant. Bliss. What wasn't blissful, though, was how unreliable the machines were. The Xbox 360 of course was blighted by the Red Ring of Death scandal, a vast and expensive tech design and consumer rights blunder that cost Microsoft billions to put right. The PS3 similarly had the Yellow Light of Death, which wasn't as bad or as widespread as Microsoft's issue, but still affected a lot of people and is pretty much a guaranteed certainty if you're still lucky enough to have a working PS3 Fat: clean that thing religiously and change the thermal paste. Honestly. Do it. It will die eventually whatever you do, but don't tempt fate. Not that the 7th gen was the only era with widespread tech issues. Every generation of games machine has had some kind of common problem, usually caused or exacerbated by excessive heat, and therefore often associated with games that drive the hardware particularly hard. So which of these system-busting games is the best one? Well, that's what we're here to get to the bottom of in this panel show, featuring Jim Trinca as your host, Tom Orry and Sherif Saed as your regular panellists, and Ian Higton from Eurogamer as a Special Guest (he's my favourite, very handsome, doesn't smell usually). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to episode 97 of the Best Games Ever Podcast. As is traditional, let us give you some information about the show. This week we are looking for our contestants to think of the best game in which you fight a bear. Let's see if anyone decides to subvert the topic in ways that cause mutiny within the ranks. As ever, host Jim Trinca must decide who has picked the best game by judging on an unknown list of criteria he most likely makes up as he sees fit on the day. A true professional. If you want more of the Best Games Ever Podcast, we have an extended edition in which Jim picks a game and the rest of the team tells him how much of a terrible choice he's made. You can get this by becoming a paid member. Head to VG247.com and click on the "support us" section in the top right (in the menu on mobile) for all the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Honestly, we've got no idea what episode this is. Jim thinks this is Season 2, which is news to everyone else, but it's also sort of episode 84. This week we pick the games that we just can't stop going back to. The games that, despite knowing we have newer titles to work through, we play at every opportunity. Do you have one? Oh, and we introduce a new segment: Jim's Pick. Get it free for now, but in the near future we're going to be launching a subscriber's edition of the show that features this extra content. It won't cost much. On the show you can hear the choices of Tom Orry, Rebecca Jones, and Mark Warren. And, as it turns out, Jim Trinca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The VG247 crew is back to decide on yet another Best Game Ever. In this week's show we're looking at games that are spin-off from a game in a totally different genre. So, things like how Mario Kart is a 'Mario' game but not a 2D platformer that the series became famous for. You get the idea. As always, our host Jim Trinca makes a complete mess of picking the correct winner, but you can be the judge of that without me, a simple person writing these description, influencing you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom's back by popular demand, but also to answer for his crimes against a previous guest: James Batchelor, author of The Best Non-Violent Video Games. For weeks following James' deserved win, Tom and Conner said some Very Mean things about him and his book, and even implied that virtuous host Jim Trinca (who is fair and kind) would let anyone win if they were on to plug some coffee table book that you can already read as tweets. Did Tom back down, or double down? And how did Connor manage to escape justice? Find out in this week's delectable installment of The Best Games Ever Podcast, the least embarassing podcast to blare out on the bus when your headphone jack gets ripped out. Of your "MP3 player". In 2006. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Best Games Ever show Episode 64: The best game you love despite itself. Some games make it hard to love them. My beloved Assassin's Creed, for example, is often hard to recommend to people, because so many of the games get bogged down in icon janitor nonsense, obscuring the feelgood sense of motion at the heart of the gameplay, and the epic meta-narrative that's essentially an olympian love story set across time, space, death, and reality. But the tailing missions are annoying, so. This week we're joined by someone who I consider an expert on loving things despite themselves, given that he's a committed fan of the long-defunct Dreamcast, a console that died such a definitive death that it took SEGA's entire status as a platform holder with it. And it died for a reason. The reason was that it was bobbins, and nothing on the machine was as good as the whale bit in Sonic Adventure, but by the time it came out everyone had already seen that bit on telly, so there was no actual reason to buy the console. Still, it had a good light gun, as our guest Owen O'Donnell in this video on his excellent Infinite Review youtube channel where he has set himself the task of critically appraising every idea, concept, object, and creative work in the galaxy. We gave him a break from that burden though to come and tell us what he would pick as the best game you love despite itself, along with panel regulars Tom Orry and Sherif Saed, and your host: me. Jim Trinca. You know I'm important because I have my own theme tune. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Winning this podcast is easy: you just have to convince me, Jim Trinca, that your submission for the topic du jour is better than anyone else's. The tricky part is that I'm fickle and unknowable, and also, Donaldson knows everything, so he's usually uncovered an angle that you haven't thought of. The fact that it's almost always about 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is immaterial. In the cut and thrust of the Best Games Ever Podcast, finding the weirdest or daftest angle is where the game lies. That or having the biggest sob story. So far only one of our panellists has wins in the double figures: but they're also on nearly every episode. One of them has only half a dozen wins, but from half a dozen appearances. Arguably, they're at the top of the game. However, Tom and I are too stupid and bad at maths to figure out what the ratios are, so in the pig-headed traditional of the British Isles, we're using a first-past-the-post system to determine the winners and losers, and aren't bothering to consider any nuances in the data. Please enjoy our discussion below in the second ever Best Games Ever Podcast Audit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 39 - The best game that was a huge flop. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how good something is, it just never gets the right break, or it arrives at entirely the wrong time. An artist may die a pauper, unappreciated in their time, but be considered among the greatest painters in history in the centuries following their demise. This is a form of cruelty we call "existing". Anyway, this is a podcast about Shenmue and things. It's good. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 38 - The best game you'd never believe was from that developer Hi-Fi Rush is a joyous cel-shaded rush of a rhythm combat game with a tone and art style not unlike Jet Set Radio, and it's surprising, because it comes from a studio most widely known for Evil Within, a spiritual follow-up to Resident Evil, and Ghostwire Tokyo, which is sort of like Far Cry: Shibuya via Siren Blood Curse. It's not the only example of a surprising or incongruous game from a developer, or studio, that is mostly known for one type of thing. But what's the best game that you'd never believe was from a particular developer? That's what we're here to find out! “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 37 - The best game with followers you would never hang out with IRL Video Games often, through necessity, make us hang out with people we wouldn't necessarily want to in any other context.. Looking after rich idiots? Helping demon-possessed adventurers find peace in hell? Chatting with disembodied skulls who have terrible behavioural issues? (it's amazing how often that last one crops up). NPC followers or party members might be useful in a scrape, usually, but they're generally not the sort of people you'd like to spend your downtime with. Or your uptime, tbh. But which games have the worst folllowers? And of them, which is the best? If those are questions that you have, then you're in luck, because that's what this podcast is all about. Yes, this one here. You lucky people! “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 35 - The best game that shouldn't be made into a TV show The Last of Us has finally made it to television screens. Well, it was always on television screens. Um. Let me rephrase. Television finally has a prestige drama about zombies. What? Oh yeah. Fine. OK. Television addicts finally have a zombie show that's already been going for like ten years in another medium if they wanna skip ahead, Really? Hmm. Ah. Hmm. Well, fine, let's at least make sure the TV people don't try and adapt anything stupid: Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): . . . . . . Tom - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The lore of Tamriel is arguably a great starting point for a fantasy TV show, but Tom thinks it would be rubbish. James - Journey The whole point of Journey is to make a deeply human connection to whoever is controlling the other avatar on screen, but without exchanging any words. A brilliant game, but would be a hard watch. Kelsey - Fortnite It's already a garish mess of clashing pop-culture licenses and dance memes, a TV version would just be insufferable. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 34 - the best game that suffers from bloating Bloat was clearly on all our minds in the afterglow of the christmas season, so we did an entire podcast about the concept. But we're not talking about being full of mince pies, here: we're on about video game bloat. The scourge of modern times, that has turned what used to be a fun escapist hobby into the full time job of icon janitoring. Games are so rammed with the dreaded "content" now that dev cycles are starting to be measured in decades instead of years. It's an industry-wide problem, and we're all tired of it. But which game is the worst offender, according to our esteemed panel of turkey-stuffed commentators? Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): . . . . . . Tom - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo's most Ubisofty game, but one with a reputation for having fixed open-world design problems, actually. This will be a hard one to pitch. Alex - Persona 4: Golden Persona games are fairly meaty when they first come out, but ATLAS has a habit of re-issuing them with a load of extra stuff glued on, crammed in, and smeared over, to the point where the games actually become worse: more unwieldy, more of a chore, and less fun. But these updates are usually bundled with a suite of QoL updates that make the initial releases very hard to go back to. It's a very special form of torture, as Alex explains. Connor - Final Fantasy XV Final Fantasy games have absolutely ballooned in recent years to the point where the cost and time it takes to make one has spiraled out of control in an alarming way. And according to Connor, XV's boring side-content is one of the most miserable side effects of this. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 33 - the best game that could have been made by an AI Join our panel of gaming experts as they discuss and debate the greatest video games of all time. Each week, we'll tackle a new theme and share our picks for the best games in that category. This week on VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast, we have a special treat for you! In the spirit of the holiday season, our host Jim decided to take it easy and let an AI do some of the work for him. That's right, all of this week's notes, intro, and outro were written by an advanced language model trained by OpenAI. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as Jim continues to embrace his "holiday mode" and let the AI do the heavy lifting. In this week's episode, we'll be discussing what existing video game we think could have been made by an AI. From innovative game design to cutting-edge graphics and gameplay, we'll explore the games that push the boundaries of what's possible in the world of gaming. And as an added bonus, this episode's intro and outro were written by an AI! So grab your controller and join us for a lively and irreverent discussion on the best games ever, brought to you in part by the hardworking (and possibly sentient) artificial intelligence at VG247! Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): Tom - Star Wars: Dark Forces Dark Forces is a classic first-person shooter that was released in the mid-1990s and is known for its immersive gameplay, engaging story, and innovative level design. While it is possible that an AI could have played a role in the development of this game, it is unlikely that an AI alone could have been responsible for creating a game of this complexity and scope. Creating a first-person shooter like Dark Forces would likely require a high level of creative vision, design expertise, and technical skill, as well as a deep understanding of the conventions and tropes of the first-person shooter genre. It is possible that an AI could have been used to assist with certain tasks, such as level design or AI programming, but it is unlikely that an AI alone could have created a game like Dark Forces without significant human input and oversight. Alex - Minecraft One game that may be particularly well-suited to being made by an AI is Minecraft. This iconic sandbox game is known for its open-ended gameplay and procedurally generated worlds, which allow players to build and explore to their heart's content. The game's block-based construction and simple graphics may have made it easier for an AI to design and develop, as it would not have needed to worry about creating highly realistic graphics or complex physics simulations. Additionally, the game's focus on player creativity and exploration could have allowed an AI to design a world that is rich in content and possibilities, while still being open-ended enough to allow players to create their own experiences. Overall, it is possible that an AI could have been responsible for designing and developing a game like Minecraft, although it would still require human input and oversight in order to bring the final product to fruition. Sherif - Spore Spore is a unique and ambitious game that allows players to control the evolution of a species from a single-celled organism all the way up to a space-faring civilization. With its complex gameplay, procedurally generated content, and focus on evolution and adaptability, it is possible that an AI could have played a role in the development of this game. The game's procedurally generated content, in particular, could have been created by an AI using algorithms that are designed to create diverse and interesting environments and creatures. Additionally, the game's focus on evolution and adaptability could have allowed an AI to design gameplay mechanics and challenges that are based on these concepts. However, it is likely that an AI would still need human input and oversight in order to create a game like Spore, as the development of such a complex and expansive game would likely require a high level of creative vision and design expertise. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 32 - the best game of 2023 The future is unknowable. As are the minds of our deranged panellists, who were asked to pick their nod for next year's GOTY based on the scraps of info we know about 2023's game releases and, somehow, none of them picked Starfield. It's obviously Starfield, you idiots. Cast: Tom Orry, Alex Donaldson, Connor Makar, and Jim Trinca. . . . . . . . . . . Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): Tom - Resident Evil 4 Remake Tom tried to cheat death and reality by crowbarring a known quantity into his Nostradamusing, but failed to consider that if a remake is close enough to the source material to be sure bet, then it barely counts as a new game. Which is obviously a load of rubbish, but this podcast is a panel game about semantic bickering, so take it or leave it.  Alex - Cyberpunk 2077 Ah, Donaldson, you cheeky so-and-so. Connor - Baldur's Gate 3 A solid pick from Connor, but ultimately all it did was open a can of worms about whether or not early access counts as a release. See? Semantics. That's all it is.  Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 31 - the best game that reminds you of Christmas Christmas is a time of togetherness, of sharing your table with family, friends, and strangers. In that spirit, we invited a number of our friends and colleagues from across the games media to contribute to this, our first ever Christmas edition of the VG247 Best Games Ever podcast. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it, and wish you all a joyful holiday season. Cast: Tom Orry, Alex Donaldson, James Billcliffe, and Jim Trinca. . . . . . . . . . . Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): Tom - FOOTBALL MANAGER Tom once again ignored or upset his family. Alex - Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams Having won far away more episodes than anyone else, Alex decided in his hubris to try and slip a magazine coverdisc past us as a "best game ever". And he didn't even pick Cannon Soccer. The brass neck on this lad, honestly.  Billcliffe - Fallout 3 Somehow the least christmassy game here, and yet, no youngster wanted anything else under their tree in 2008. Unfortunately, it was 18 rated: but Young Billcliffe had a plan.  Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 30 - the best game that made you uninstall Uninstalling crap games is one thing. But uninstalling a game that would qualify in some way as a "best ever"? That's a difficult thing to imagine, or determine. Unfortunately for our panellists, that's the game. Cast: Tom Orry, Alex Donaldson, Connor Makar, and Jim Trinca. . . . . . . . . . . Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): Tom - TUNIC Tom didn't like this so he uninstalled it. That's it. That's the story. Alex - Street Fighter V When Alex came out with this I had to double check that it really was Alex speaking and not Connor via some sort of elaborate Alex Donaldson Snapchat Filter. Connor - Guilty Gear Strive Imagine getting battered by a 12yr old? Honestly, this is one of the most harrowing tales we've heard all year. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 29 - the best game where you don't do much. This is a topic that's very close to my heart because I love sitting doing naff all. In that spirit, I haven't borthered writing an elaborate podcast description this week. This is yer lot. Bliss. I'm going to have a mince pie later after a long and productivity-free morning. You can't sack me Tom, I'm just being thematically consistent.   Cast: Tom Orry, Alex Donaldson, Kelsey Raynor, and Jim Trinca. Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): Tom - Vampire Survivors Tom played this for ten minutes and decided on this week's topic soon after. Coincidence, or corruption? Alex - Dive Kick When Alex came out with this I had to double check that it really was Alex speaking and not Connor via some sort of elaborate Alex Donaldson Snapchat Filter. Kelsey - Animal Crossing: New Horizons Possibly the game most culturally associated with doing nothing, given that it arrived when half of society was closed for business and a lot of people simply had to sit around in their houses. Bad times. Still, it's all behind us now and the pandemic is definitely over. Right? Right? Oh. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 28 - the best game to play while you wait for Starfield. This week's topic has come about because of two things: Firstly, we're desperate to do anything Starfield related because we are a games website and people click on articles about Starfield. But, rudely, it hasn't come out yet, so we have to get creative. I say creative. I mean, we have to go on about it on podcasts and things. Secondly, we're scraping the barrell and letting Jim pick them now, and he won't ever shut up about Star Trek or Morrowind, so obviously he won't shut up about Bethesda's upcoming blend of those things either. It's like they're making a game for him specifically, as if he deserves it. Where's my Bethesda game about stuff I like? Why can't I have an open world RPG about pining for Project Gotham Racing and watching Lovejoy? Cast: Tom Orry (me), Alex Donaldson, Dom Peppiatt, and Jim Trinca. Our picks this week (SPOILERS AHEAD): Alex - No Man's Sky Alex chose this because it's an open world game set in space. Hahaha. Loser. Dom - FTL Dom has this to say about FTL, a rubbish game that should have lost: “I have never let myself gamble; I'm too compulsive, and I have an addictive personality. So I scratch that itch with other things – 1000+ lifetime hours in Binding of Isaac say hello. So if I want to placate the craving in my brain for risk/reward and harvest that lovely dopamine payoff, I use games… and what better way to prime my mind for Starfield than a space game that gives me intermittent rewards,   keeps things random (but logical), and makes failure feel fair. FTL: Faster Than Light is a phenomenal, top-tier video game… that just so happens to be about space exploration and science.”   Tom (me) - Morrowind I don't even like Morrowind. I just chose it because Jim loves it and I wanted to win the podcast for once. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way.  “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The VG247 Best Games Ever Podcast has been going for six months! Can you believe it? The show that was spawned out of a random Slack message has gone from mild strength to ever-so-slightly-less-mild strength. To celebrate this milestone I sat down with host Jim Trinca to berate him about the choices he's made so far. Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: The 6-month Inquisition Special.Cast: Tom Orry and Jim Trinca. That's it. We definitely didn't do this because we ran out of time to do a proper episode due to various illnesses and things. It was 100% always planned. Please enjoy it. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way. They honestly can't be any worse than what we come up with. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. This one isn't like that, obviously. This is like those Christmas specials that you see that round things up, only we put it out a month before Christmas. Come back in a week for another exciting instalment of VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've given up writing brilliant intros to these, now. If you want them to return, simply leave a bag containing £100k in unmarked bank notes on the hill at the top of the road near the church, behind the bin. Thanks. Alternatively, write a comment saying how much you miss the wonderful intros. Or leave a review for this podcast. You have exactly one week. Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 26 - The best game that crashed at the worst possible time. Cast: Tom Orry, Alex Donaldson, James Billcliffe, and Jim Trinca. Can you guess who picked which games? MechAssault 2, Runescape, and Dead Rising. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, send them our way. I came up with this weeks, but hated it so much I picked the first game that came to mind despite knowing it wouldn't win. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Sheen is good, isn't he? Welcome to VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 25 - The best game with a welsh actor in it. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. If you've got suggestions for topics, we'd love to hear them, because we're just picking countries now and running with it. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask? Well, it is essentially a 30-minute panel show where people (Jim Trinca and associates) decide on the best game in a specific category. That's it. It's good. Listen to it. We've got some details on the show's content below, so don't skip this warning if you hate spoilers: W A R N I N G The best game with a welsh actor in it That is the topic of Episode 25 of this podcast. Here's a rundown of who picked what. Tom - Planet Zoo Look, I was very ill when we recorded this and I got absolutely zero thanks for being a hero and carrying on, just so we could deliver a good podcast - unlike the terrible one that happened when I wasn't here and Jim was left in charge. Alex - Elden Ring I'm Alex so I'm going to win regardless of what I pick. Anyway, I went with the big obvious choice because my mind is mostly filled with JRPG battle strategies and arcade cabs I want shipping over from Japan on a big boat. Elden Ring has loads of welsh people in it. Connor - Total War Warhammer 2 Full disclosure, I couldn't think of a single Welsh actor for this podcast until right at the last minute. But, a quick google and peruse of the list of valid picks landed me with a pick so good I had to take it. A proper combo of a great Welsh actor and a great game. Iwan Rheon in Total War Warhammer 2. Iwan Rheon is great. They're mostly known for their performance as Ramsey Bolton in Game of Thrones, where they play an antagonistic, people-skinning, ambitious son who literally feeds a baby to dogs to rack up those evil boy points. However, I knew them first from Misfits, a British comedy drama where a bunch of juvenile delinquents get super powers. I'm sure he'd done other stuff but that's all I knew him from, and it was plenty to warrant him as my pick. As for Total War Warhammer 2, I mean, what a banger. It's this incredibly vast CRPG where you take control of various diverse fantastical factions and attempt to state a claim on the world through conquest, diplomacy, and big ol' magic spells. Iwan Rheon's character, Beastlord Rakarth, is a cruel Dark Elf warlord, travelling the world and amassing a growing circus of dangerous animals that he can use in battle to run over any armies he has an issue with. He's also a prick, and is essentially an unsubtle send up to Iwan's Game of Thrones role, but it fits damn well in Warhammer so no one really cared. He's even playable in Total War Warhammer 3, and even bigger game with more races and lands to explore, but I didn't pick it since I don't think it's quite as good as 2 yet. Nonetheless, a great game, with a great Welsh actor doing a great job. In the past, I've been accused of wiggling around (or just straight up missing the point) of the podcast question. But with this one, I've surely nailed it. Come back in a week for another exciting instalment of VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes we seek out games. Other times they seek out us. It's another brilliant VG247 podcast. Hello again I won't lie. As I attempt to write some general blurb about this podcast for the fifth time and not make it the dullest thing imaginable, I'm struggling. But hey, ho, the VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast returns, with episode 5. This week I worried we'd end up talking about how Steve from over the road lent a copy of Advance Wars on the GBA, but instead we soon became a blip on the radar of the local constabulary. That's right, it's time for the Best game you got for an odd reason. Not the best title, I admit, but stick with it. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask, presumably because you read the words I'd written and not because you really wanted to ask. It's really quite simple, so listen up and please don't ask again: Each week three of us must present our choice for the best game ever that fits the title of the show (this week it must be a game that we reckon is great but came into our possession through odd means). Then our host/judge, Jim Trinca, will use his complete lack of objectivity to declare a winner and annoy at least one of us – most likely me. Each episode of the Best Games Ever Podcast skirts around the 30-minute mark. We've got a small number of things to talk about, and we don't go on random tangents about the latest video game news (unless it's somehow relevant to the games and stories being discussed). We feel 30 minutes is the perfect length. If we were doing this live and asked you to pay for a ticket, of course we'd make it longer, but we'd likely take the easy option and deviously put multiple Best Games into one show. Smart. Hopefully you can find room in your podcast-listening schedule for 30 minutes. If not, just cut one of the dull ones. Do you really need 12 shows about decluttering, or that one about talking to the artists that paint all the knock-off art onto funfair rides? Fair enough, that one sounds great. But you can get rid of one of the others. If this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. They're not topical in the least, so go wild. We've got some details on the show's content below (if you want to get a refresher before heading to the comments to make a wonderful, considered post), so if you want to avoid spoilers, don't scroll past this warning. W A R N I N G Best game you got for an odd reason – Crimestoppers Edition This is the topic of Episode five of VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast. Here's a rundown of who picked what. Tom – Sam and Max Hit the Road (1993) The Point and Clink adventure game was all the rage back in the early ‘90s. LucasArts was at the very top of its craft, knocking out classic after classic, and this wacky adventure featuring the “Freelance Police” duo was another slam dunk. As not only one of the best games of its genre, but also with a strong case for being one of the best games ever made, surely this piece of video game history has got the competition sewn up? Alex – Perfect Dark (2000) It's hard to believe Perfect Dark released in 2000. By that time the Dreamcast was on its way to failure (sad eyes), and the PS2 was just around the corner. Nintendo was still happy to release Rare's classic sci-fi FPS on the N64, though, even with its own follow-up console, the GameCube due the following year. As the successor to the much-loved GoldenEye, Perfect Dark had a lot to live up to, and for the most part developer Rare absolutely smashed it. James – Metal Gear Solid 2 (2001) Who can forget that first look at Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty? It was a big moment for the PS2 and pretty much cemented Kojima as the top-tier creator he is known as today. The game itself held quite a few surprises, of course, some that didn't go down well with fans, but generally MGS2 is held in very high esteem as one of the greatest games of all time. Let us know what game you'd pick and if you agree that Jim has completely gone off the rails. If you like the podcast, please follow/subscribe and leave a review saying how wonderful it is, and tell all your friends. Do a tweet about it, post on Facebook, leave the podcast page open on the laptop screen in your local tech store. Come back in a week for The Best Game someone now in the know would think you'd made up. #podcast #videogames #funny Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello again listeners. It's hard to believe it's been a whole week since I rewrote the last one of these, but the calendar does not lie. The VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast returns, with episode 4. This week we're talking about the most British of things: pubs. And by “talking” I mean, arguing about the best game with a pub. Are the games good, and what makes for a good pub? That and more will be conveyed to you by the medium of talking people in this podcast. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask, presumably because you've not read one of these pages before, as if you had you'd know already. Anyway, if you still need to be told, here's the lowdown: Each week three of us must present our choice for the best game ever that fits the title of the show (this week it must be a game that we reckon is actually very good, has a pub in it – or a bar/drinking establishment of some sort). Then our host/judge, Jim Trinca, will use his biased views to declare a winner and leave two of us with the hump. Each episode of the Best Games Ever Podcast will be about 30 minutes long. Enough that you can eat a whole Share Size bag of chocs without having to pace yourself too much, but not so long that you then have to reach for the Doritos. Hopefully you can find room in your podcast-listening schedule for 30 minutes. If not, just cut one of the boring ones. Do you really need 15 true crime shows, one about the lives of dog walkers, and the rantings of one man who only dines at all-you-can-eat restaurants? Fair enough, I'd listen to that final one. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. They're not topical in the least, so go wild. We've got some details on the show's content below (if you want to get a refresher before heading to social media to make a wonderfully considered post), so if you want to avoid spoilers, don't scroll past this warning. W A R N I N G Best game with a pub This is the topic of Episode four of VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast. Here's a rundown of who picked what. Tom – Prey 2006 Prey, the 2006 game not the entirely different an altogether more po-faced Arkane reboot, is very much of its time – all big guns, mega violence, and ghastly human/machine hybrids, but It was a really fun shooter that had a superb portal mechanic – way before the likes of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart did something similar (and better). It also had a brilliant pub, complete with bar fight and Fear the Reaper playing on the jukebox. It's a proper classic of the era. Alex – The Secret of Monkey Island When I think of pubs in games, most of the games that immediately come to mind do so because their pubs are awful caricature, or entirely unrealistic. While I've never actually been to a real-life pirate bar, I have to imagine that the Scumm Bar wouldn't elicit that reaction even if I had - it just feels like a real, legitimate location that absolutely fits within its world. Mainly, it's all about the atmosphere - with a limited color palette, a single screen and a music track, it sells itself as a believable location. It has that in common with much of the game from where it hails, the excellent The Secret of Monkey Island. I could listen the bar's jaunty music all day. Connor – Everybody's Gone to the Rapture The first game that came to mind when I had to think of a game with a pub was Everyone's Gone to the Rapture, a cool little walkabout game that won plenty of awards back when it first came out back in 2015. Not only is it pretty interesting narratively, as well as genuinely quite lovely to look at, it's got multiple British country pubs that you can go inside and take a look at! We're talking tiled roofs, white outside paint job, wooden interior, and proper tap handles built into the bar. You've even got the sketchy bottles of red and gin out of reach. For me, it perfectly captures the actual look and feel of British pubs better than any other game! Let us know what game you'd pick and if you agree that Jim must be stopped. If you like the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review saying how wonderful it is, and tell all your friends. Do a tweet about it if you fancy, or a post on Facebook – we'll take whatever exposure we can get. Come back in a week for another Best Game Ever.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one is going to cause some arguments. What defines a mini-game? The VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast returns once more, with episode 3. This week we're arguing (quite a lot, actually) over the best game with a mini-game better than the main game. This brought up some good choices, but also posed the eternal question: what defines a mini-game? Have a listen to see if you agree. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask, with the child-like glee usually reserved for when you find some money down the back of the sofa or see that someone at work has brought doughnuts into the office. Here's the lowdown: Each week three of us must present our choice for the best game ever that fits the title of the show (this week it must be a game that we reckon is actually very good, but isn't as good as a mini-game you can play in it). Then our host/judge, Jim Trinca, will use his limited wisdom to declare a winner and leave two of us with the hump. Each episode of the Best Games Ever Podcast will be about 30 minutes long. Enough that you can zone out while also browsing Twitter on your phone for 5 minutes and not miss the whole thing, but not so long that you a week's worth of commutes to get through it. Hopefully, you can find room in your podcast-listening schedule for 30 minutes. If not, just cut Eurogamer's - we won't tell them. If you've cut Eurogamer's already, I'm sure one of the identikit US shows can be disposed of. That is it.. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to the previous episodes. They're not topical in the least, so go wild. We've got some details on the show's content below (if you want to get a refresher being heading to the comments to make a wonderful, considered post), so if you want to avoid spoilers, don't scroll past this warning. W A R N I N G Best game with a mini-game better than the main game This is the topic of Episode three of VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast. Here's a rundown of who picked what. Tom – Burnout 2: Point of Impact This brilliant arcade racing game from 2002 set up Criterion as a true racing studio powerhouse. Not only is the core racing a big step up from the original, but it also has Crash mode. Tom (that's me) insists this is a mini-game as it's not the core part of the experience. Crash mode became a real fan favourite, and ended up being radically built upon in the third game, and even got its own full standalone game. It's definitely a mini-game. No one can say otherwise. Alex – Shenmue In many ways, Shenmue is Mini Game: The Game, where its slew of mini games and side activities are the glue that sticks the world together. Some might argue that makes it a bit of a cheap pick here, but I disagree, especially since there's one stand-out: Ryo's iconic stint as a forklift driver. The forklift driving mini game inexplicably features races around the boxy tracks formed by the Yokosuka docks, and is explained in-universe as a way of letting drivers blow off some steam between shifts. But, honestly, who expected a racing experience from some of the minds behind Daytona USA and Sega Rally to be buried in the middle of an adventure RPG? Perhaps that's why it's so memorable... Kelsey – New Super Mario Bros. Wii Renowned for being some fresh Mario fun, while remaining faithful to the franchise, New Super Mario Bros. boasts 26 mini games that offer a dozen more hours of fun than the base game does. Platforming between worlds was entertaining, but these mini-games appear to be the true host of fond memories for so many; 6-year-old Kelsey spent years comparing high scores with friends and still tries to beat them on her DS now. Most importantly, long after you tire of the base game, Luigi is always up for some poker, even 16 years on. Let us know what game you'd pick and if you agree with Tom that Crash mode is a mini-game. If you like the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review saying how wonderful it is, and tell all your friends. Do a tweet about it if you fancy. Come back in a week for another Best Game Ever. Next up we fight over the best game with a pub. #podcast #videogames #funny Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you think of a great game that everyone seemed to ignore? We came up with three. The VG247 The Best Games Ever Podcast is back with episode 2, following the tradition of going after episode 1. This week we're fighting over the best game that nobody cares about. Hmm, tricky one, that. Have a listen to see if you agree with our choices and which game was victorious. “What is VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast?” you ask, with the child-like glee usually reserved for when you see a new limited edition flavour Coke or a Transformer cameo in a new Chip ‘n Dale film. Here's the format: Each week three of us must present our choice for the best game ever that meets certain criteria (this week it must be a game that we believe is great but nobody cares about). Then our host/judge, Jim Trinca, will decide who has made the best case and declare a winner, most likely annoying two of us in the process. We're aiming to make each episode about 30 minutes long. Enough to feel like you've invested some time into something more than an audio sneeze, but not so long that you need a whole box of Kleenex to make it through. Hopefully that means you can squeeze the show into whatever busy podcast schedule you already have going on in your life. If not, just cut Eurogamer's - we won't tell them. That is it. Check out VG247's The Best Games Ever Podcast on Apple Podcasts and subscribe. Or listen on Spotify. It's even on YouTube if that's your thing. Please do let us know what you think of the show – and if this is your first time listening, do go back to listen to Episode 1. We've got some details on the show's content below (mostly for SEO if I'm being honest, but you might want a bit of info on the games we picked), so if you want to avoid spoilers, don't scroll past this warning. W A R N I N G Best game nobody cares about This is the topic of Episode two of VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast. Here's a rundown of who picked what. Tom – Quantum Break The Xbox was in a pretty bad way back in 2016. The console was clearly underpowered compared to the PS4, the system had put a focus on Kinect and TV (?!), and Sony had a better line-up of exclusives. So It's no surprise that people generally didn't care about part video game part TV show Quantum Break. Which is a shame, as Tom reckons you should have. It's from Remedy (Max Payne, Control, Alan Wake) and is awesome, both in terms of visual splendor and action-oriented gameplay. The TV stuff, wasn't even that bad – it has Lance Reddick in it, so it must be good when he's on the screen. Dom – Pokemon Conquest Have you ever heard of Pokemon Conquest? Nah, we didn't think so. And fair enough, really; it was a spinoff crossover game with the Nobunaga's Ambition tactical-RPG series. Obviously a great fit for Pokemon, right? You play as a warlord in Feudal Japan, and using Pokemon in grid-based strategy battles, you slowly take over the empire. Not only do you have moves as well as your Pokemon, you can also evolve, too, for some reason. Dom reckons that despite barely anyone playing it (it was a DS game that launched after the 3DS, in the same year as Black 2/White 2, d'oh), it's the best Pokemon game out there. And it's particularly relevant now, with Arceus being out in the wild. Alex – Disaster: Day of Crisis A weird and wonderful mix of Metal Gear, Time Crisis, disaster movies, and post-9/11 rah-rah chest-thumping action, Disaster: Day of Crisis is a bit of a mess. But it's also a modern masterpiece. Developed by Xenoblade studio Monolith Soft, Disaster is emblematic of a golden age of the Wii - warts and all - of a period before Nintendo saw the sheer amount of dosh to be made from casual 'waggle' games, when it was still green-lighting more traditional games and asking developers to find a way to work motion controls in. Thus enters Day of Crisis, a game with light gun shooting, driving segments where you turn the controller on its side, tense bomb defusal mini-games, and motion-controlled CPR on endangered victims. It's by no means polished perfection, but it's the B-movie video game at its best - and somehow, one of Alex's favourite games of its generation. Let us know what game you'd pick and which of the three you think should win in the comments below (It's Quantum Break, right?). If you like the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review saying how wonderful it is, and tell all your friends, who can then tell all their friends who are hopefully big players on social media. #podcast #videogame #funny Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For quite some time we've wanted to produce a podcast on VG247, but for assorted reasons nothing ever got off the ground. That has now changed. VG247's The Best Games Ever Podcast is here. “What is this new podcast?” you ask, with the child-like glee usually reserved for when you spot a new type of M&M or an ice cream version of a favourite childhood sweet. Well, it's quite simple, really. Each week three of us must present our choice for the best game ever that meets certain criteria. Then our host/judge, Jim Trinca, will decide who has made the best case and declare a winner. We'll never do something so simple as “Best horror game,” or “Best PS2 game.” That's just not what this show is about. We're trying to do something a little different, on the off-chance it's more fun than just a bunch of us sat around talking. Each week we'll have something specific to talk about, and that's it. There might be the odd hilarious segue, but the aim is to be more panel show-like. We're also trying to deliver a show that's about 30 minutes long. Enough to feel like you've been a part of something, but not so long that you need a week's worth of commutes/park walks to get through one episode. Hopefully, that's something you can get onboard with. That is it. We've got some details on the show's content below, so if you want to avoid spoilers, don't scroll beyond this warning. W A R N I N G Best game with a named horse This is the topic of Episode one of VG247's Best Games Ever Podcast. Here's a rundown of who picked what. Tom – Shadow of the Colossus This one is pretty obvious, and no doubt a favourite amongst readers/listeners. Shadow of the Colossus is a brilliant game that is considered by many to be a true classic. And it has a named horse in the shape of Agro. Team Ico's game is so good it's been remade/remastered twice, so has appeared on PS2, PS3, and PS4. Do you agree with Tom? Dorrani – Elden Ring Dorrani went for something more recent, with Elden Ring. Released earlier in 2022, Elden Ring is already considered a classic of the open-world genre, offering intense and challenging battles along with a world that is a joy to discover. The horse in Elden Ring is named Torrent, and has among other talents a rather incredible double-jump. What do you think? Is Elden Ring better than Shadow of the Colossus or is it too early to say? Alex – Final Furlong Out of nowhere, Alex produced this gem of an arcade game. Final Furlong sums up what arcade games can offer that consoles and PC's can't: huge peripherals. In this case, it's a massive plastic horse you must ride on. Alex insists that this is the best game with a named horse, but does one of many named racehorses really count? His favorite is called Miracle Thunder. Let us know what game you'd pick and which of the three you think should win in the comments below. If you like the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review, and tell all your friends, who can then tell all their friends. #podcast #videogames #funny Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest news on everybody's "lips" is that a vagina's being patched out of Watch Dogs 2. This is important! In other news, we have Jim Trinca on the show! He's sick. So is the other Jim. We make it work. Also, GAME makes legal threats, Judge Dredd, and news from your pal Sterling's trip to New York!

Join Mike and Alexander as they speak with Jim Trinca about his experience at videogamer.com, and how he has made the transition from the gaming press to production and marketing for game studios themselves with SpecialGun Productions. In Studio Happenings, Alexander covers the art of crisis management, and "Reader" Mail brings direct input from big indie publishers on when and how to pitch a project. 0:46 - Games Media to Game Devs Media 28:11 - Studio Happenings: Crisis Management 38:11 - "Reader" Mail: When to Pitch a Publisher --SUBSCRIBE-- iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bithell-games-podcast/id1065880449 Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/bithell-games-podcast Google Play Music: https://play.google.com/music/m/Iey34nbhc5o3k4x5z4uzx4vcsz4?t%3DBithell_Games_Podcast RSS: http://bithellgames.libsyn.com/rss --GUEST-- Jim Trinca - https://twitter.com/Jim_Trinca - Co-founder SpecialGun Productions - http://specialgunproductions.com --SOCIAL-- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeBithell - https://twitter.com/Sliwinski - https://twitter.com/volumegame Email: contact@bithellgames.com --BUY VOLUME-- Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/365770/ PSN: https://store.playstation.com/#!/games/volume/cid=UP1261-CUSA02943_00-VOLUMEPS4GAME001 http://bithellgames.com/

The Evolve Beta, Resident Evil HD, and Jim Trinca's impressive fertility.

This week Matt is joined by Jim Trinca and Pip Warr - two wonderful guests who combine forces to routinely pull this week's podcast off-piste. When the conversation isn't happily swerving into increasingly unlikely lanes, we chat Overwatch, Clash Royale, and The Witcher 3. We had fun recording it, we hope you enjoy listening!

This week Matt and Joe are joined by Jim Trinca! We talk about Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate and the series in general before Matt and Joe get excited about Inkle’s Sorcery! series. Rebel Galaxy didn’t manage to tickle Matt’s intergalactic pickle (still waiting to hear back from legal on whether that phrase is acceptable) but Joe spruced things back into form with a dose of Double Hitler. Finally, Jim talks a bit about Hearts of Stone - which leaves Matt genuinely throwing a bit of a wobbly because he wants to play The Witcher 3 but hasn’t found the time.

Joined by Gav Murphy (https://twitter.com/cymrogav )and Jim Trinca (https://twitter.com/auld_da_jim )

Joined by Gav Murphy (https://twitter.com/cymrogav )and Jim Trinca (https://twitter.com/auld_da_jim)