Wardcast

Stepping foot inside the new and improved Seattle Convention Center for the first time, Dylan is joined by Hidden Gemsters old and new to showcase the indie games PAX West 2023 has on offer! Joining him is Good Trouble’s Director of Communications Harris Foster, Innersloth’s Communications Director Victoria Tran, Strange Scaffold’s Creative Director Xalavier Nelson Jr., and Intelligame Founder Josh Boykin. From the panel description: PAX is huge — with hundreds of things to see and do, can you really experience it all? Since 2017 the Hidden Gems panel has helped PAX attendees discover new favorites that may be lurking right under their noses. Our panel of game industry professionals seek out the hidden and overlooked spaces of the convention center and beyond to pluck out one-of-a-kind experiences that are worth your time. Who knows… you may just find your next favorite game here! Games include Antonblast, Peggy’s Farm, Thank Goodness You’re Here!, Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To, Emberwind, Rose and Lo

Masked, vaxxed, and ready for PAX, Hidden Gems returns for its first in-person panel since the start of the pandemic. Joining Dylan in the panel’s home in the Bumblebee Theatre are our pals Coby West from The Glory Society and Anya Combs from Backerkit! From the panel description: Making its triumphant return, Hidden Gems is back for PAX East 2023! What is Hidden Gems? Imagine this: you’ve spent your whole day exploring the expo, playing games, and making life-long memories, but you still haven’t seen a fraction of what is available at the show. How do you know you’re not missing the coolest thing at PAX? That’s where we come in. Our veteran crew of hidden-gemologists has compiled a list of the latest and greatest overlooked games to grace the show floor. Join us as we highlight, discuss, and point you in the direction of these hidden gems! Games include Scene Investigators; Hyde’s Haunt and Seek; Rightfully, Beary Arms; Pacific Drive; Sparks; Unleaving; Who’s Your Daddy?!; The Wandering Village; Paper Trail;

Here we are: at the end of 2022, with 2023 waiting right around the corner. Despite not recording many episodes this year, we still found the time to play — as well as develop! — games, and now it’s time to tell you, dear lister, which ones meant the most to us in Two Thousand and Twenty-Two. Games include Fortnite, In Sound Mind, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, Tunic, Rogue Legacy 2, and Splatoon 3. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

We awaken from our Wardcast cryosleep long enough to get ahold of some audio equipment and record ourselves a podcast. Much has happened while we were away — too much to cover in a single podcast, in fact, so we’ll just focus on the most recent events. Namely, John Riccitiello’s continued mismanagement of Unity with its announced merger with ironSource. We then scooch on over to talk about the games we’ve been preoccupying ourselves with — we stand on either end of the soulslike spectrum with Tunic and Elden Ring, converse about Wordle and Wordle accessories, and take command of some decks in Magic: The Gathering. All this and more on this very special Wardcast! Games include The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Tunic, Inscryption, Wordle, Fortnite: Zero Build, Pokémon Legends Arceus, Elden Ring, and Magic: The Gathering. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

It’s time for one final ‘cast before the year is done, and it’s the one we’ve all been waiting for: the Best Games Played of Twenty Twenty-One! We’ve spent the past few episodes giving big ups to our favorite games this year; now it’s time to give the biggest ups to just a final few — those games that stood out from the pack. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you may even be surprised by what games make the top ten. Awards include Funnest Ride, Best Return to Form, Most Layered, Snappiest Dialog, Most Genuine, Freshest Interactions, Most Realized, Brightest Return, Best Momentum, and Wildest Ideas. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

It’s our third and final stretch of the Road to BGP 2021, and we’re almost prepared for the final showdown. But before we get to the games, we revisit a classic video game boondoggle, consider the six degrees of Ryu, and argue about Pokémon designs. Then, Dylan and Alex finally settle in for some dodgeball metropolises, residential horrors, papercraft plumbers, not to mention some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut. Games include Knockout City, Resident Evil Village, Adios, New Pokémon Snap, Paper Mario: The Origami King, Hitman 3, Later Alligator, The Pathless, and Slice & Dice. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

The second stretch of 2021’s Road to BGP has us talking time loops a-plenty, sequels and expansions, and the return of some of our favorite armor-clad space soldiers. Join us as we try, and fail, to finish talking about the rest of the games we loved this year. Games include Monster Hunter Rise, Deathloop, Metroid Dread, holedown, Inscryption, Halo Infinite, and Outer Wilds - Echoes of the Eye. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

As was foretold, we have reemerged from our subterranean slumber to fulfill an ancient prophecy — talking about the games we enjoyed the most in 2021, and also one we didn’t much care for. It should also be stated: content warning for discussions of domestic violence, animal death, terminal illness, and similar topics during the discussion of some of these games. Games include Twelve Minutes, KID A MNESIA EXHIBITION, Cruelty Squad, Pac-Man 99, Before Your Eyes, Hitman 3, Guilty Gear Strive, and Splitgate. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Hey, ho, and whadya know — it’s a rare Wardcast sighting! We’ve come out of hiding for a special occasion: to witness the final Smash Brother get announced — live! Join us as we see who exactly they announce (it could be anyone), and stick around after as we discuss the revelatory reveal and bring up some games we’ve been playing. Games include Deathloop, Outer Wilds - Echoes of the Eye, Twelve Minutes, WarioWare: Get It Together!, and Paper Mario: The Origami King. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

After a year and a half hiatus, Hidden Gems returns to the virtual PAX floor to showcase games at the second ever PAX Online! Joining Dylan on a tour through game demos galore is Hidden Gems mainstay Felix Kramer, El David y Estefi Show host David Lucio, and Innersloth and Among Us community director Victoria Tran! From the panel description: As you peruse all the fun and games PAX Online has on offer, you may be wondering, “what are the must-see games this weekend?” Allow us to answer that question for you! Tune in as our esteemed panelists from across the games industry convene for the first virtual Hidden Gems, where we’ll show you the games you won’t want to miss and the demos you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home! Games include Death Trash, Jack Move, Button City, Hoa, Haak, No Place for Bravery, Cris Tales, Dice Legacy, Tunche, Peglin, Justice Sucks Recharged, Klang 2, Dorf Romantic, and Firegirl. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@

We mosey on back to good ol’ R-V-of-A to round up a posse of news and topics to discuss. We chat about recent departures from Giant Bomb, continued reflections on the Battle of the Tims, and lessons learned from the Axiom Verge documentary. But then we get to the real meat of the matter — games. Overwatch is facing huge changes to its gameplay, Resident Evil Village finds the perfect balance from the franchise’s past, and New Pokémon Snap delivers on a twenty-two-year-old promise. After that, we contend with rumors of a professional Switch and an update from your friends at Wardcast. Games include Overwatch, Resident Evil Village, and New Pokémon Snap. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

We’re here in the great city of Austin, Texas, where Dylan has decided to take his fully vaccinated self to visit friend and colleague Coby West — technical producer at game dev co-op The Glory Society. Dylan and Coby discuss their recent forays into tabletop gaming, try to agree on a definition for 2.5D, observe the ongoing Epic v. Apple trial, dive deep into some hands-on with the PlayStation 5 and Astro’s Playroom, and talk about upcoming games they’re excited for. Games include Super Mario Maker 2, New Pokémon Snap, Blades in the Dark, Gone Home, Paradise Killer, and Astro’s Playroom. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

On this episode, we chart a course through all things games: We start our journey from Recent Release Bay, where games that have recently entered the hype cycle slosh against the waves, including Returnal, Ratchet and Clank, and New Pokémon Snap. We then enter the icy and tumultuous Activisea, where blistering gales carry the news of Activision Blizzard slowly transforming into the Call of Duty Corporation, with Toys for Bob forced to become a Warzone support studio. These harsh winds are only slightly buffeted by our quiet reflections on Hearthstone and World of Warcraft. Once the squall ends, we sail straight towards the Game Dev Archipelago, using the Double Fine’s recently released Amnesia Fortnight 2019 documentary as a guide. By this point, it’s all calm waters, as we discuss individual authorship on massive game projects as well as anti-adventure games with Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor. Games include Teardown, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, and Diaries of a Sp

Another year in quarantine means another year without gaming events. At least, it’s another year without events in meatspace, so we zap into cyberspace to speculate on what an all-digital E3 looks like, all while getting our GDC fix from the Crows Developers Conference. But even without the yearly industry event, we still hear about industry news aplenty: Jeffery Kaplan has jettisoned from Blizzard, itch.io comes to the Epic Games Store, and Discord decides to not get acquired by Microsoft as they eye a potential IPO. And then it’s just games, games, games: Alex still has work to do at Together BnB, Monster Hunter rises up again for another whirlwind discussion, and Lil Nas X twerks his way into our hearts with a booty-shaking rhythm game. Games include Crows Developers Conference, Monster Hunter Rise, Together BnB, Twerk Hero, PS1 Haunted Demo Disc, Say No! More, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Brawl Stars, Holedown, Threes!, 2048, and Golf on Mars. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at war

With germ juice coursing through our veins, we hop back onto the mics to discover a world different than where we left it — Mario is dead, Pokémon cards are skyrocketing in value, and everyone’s playing viral sensation Together BnB. Beyond that, we memorialize the looming destruction of Yahoo Answers, mourn Deathloop’s prophesied delay, and return to the mean streets of Knockout City. Games include Dishonored 2, Magic: The Gathering Arena, Together BnB, Knockout City, and Pac-Man 99. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

We rise to the podcast occasion to talk about the one thing that matters most: superhero movi— wait, no… video games! When we’re not criticizing the Snyder Cut and other assorted superhero fare, we’re checking out the newest brothers of Smash, fighting ancient gods in the Doom Eternal DLC, reviewing our self-assigned walking sim homework, and oh so much more. In news: Squenix’s Balan Wonderworld seems to be in rough shape, and SIE CEO Jim Ryan thinks we shouldn’t worry ourselves about wanting to play old games, which is extremely distressing given the oncoming closure of the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita digital stores. But, hey, at least we’ll have these haunted PS1 demo discs to see us through. Games include Monster Hunter Rise; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; Doom Eternal; Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist; What Remains of Edith Finch; Adios; Haunted PS1 Demo Disc 2021; Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury; and Super Mario Odyssey. Got a question for the show? Join us on Disc

To celebrate their one-year quarantine anniversary, Dylan and Alex take their taste buds on a space-faring adventure with some Halo-branded snacks, only to touch back down on terrestrial soil to uncover news of game devs investing in non-fungible tokens, the cancellation of the Anthem and Artifact reboots, the closure of Google Stadia’s internal studios, and DC’s Deathstroke apparently being a huge Halo fan? We get Alex’s impressions on his continuing adventures in World of Warcraft as well as the Monster Hunter movie, all while taking the time to casually stroll through some walking sims. Games include World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth; Fortnite; Minesweeper Effect; Wreckfest; What Remains of Edith Finch; Event Zero; and Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Alex and Dylan are back at it again with a plethora of news and games as well as recording their live reactions to the long-awaited return of the Nintendo Direct. Listen in as we in realtime get disappointed by the latest Smash character reveal, become confused by Knockout City’s ad strategy, and argue about the relevancy of Splatoon. But wait, there’s more! Instead of a Summer of Games, 2021 is poised to deliver to us a veritable Winter of Games. We grapple with the BlizzPros of BlizzCon, consider the state of PlayStation, and celebrate the House of Lightning Mouse’s 25th anniversary. Games include Knockout City, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, and Dinosaur Planet. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

On this, our semiquincentennial episode, we get down to brass tacks to discuss the most important topics: what’s up with all these musicians performing inside of video games, whose idea was it to try to resurrect an ill-conceived game about the Iraq War, what are the core titles in the Mario and Zelda franchises, and exactly how tall is Lady Dimitrescu? All these questions and more will be answered on this episode of the Wardcast! Games include Fortnite, The Pathless, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

We begin our eleventh month of quarantine talking about the things we know best. For starters: personal investing and stock market manipulation! After we dance on the graves of a couple of hedge funds, we move on to eulogize the passing of Flash, use LEGO bricks to learn about game dev, talk about stars and the wars therein, and hit some mans in the latest release from IO Interactive. Games include Stinkoman 20X6, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Battlefront II, and Hitman 3. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!