This is a compilation of the first six audio articles I created back in 2010, before Digital Gonzo was even a thing. Digital Cowboys, my first podcast (begun in 2007) was going strong, but I wanted to start doing more solo material with a tighter focus. These would be shorter game analysis, think-pieces, social commentary, amusing skits, whatever I had knocking around in my head in a given week.

I started a second podcast feed of my own, which eventually evolved from "Gonzo Gaming" into "Digital Gonzo" and by a year or so into production on movie-deep-dive shows, beginning with Star Wars, that became the thing I wanted to carry on with after Digital Cowboys ended.

BUT before then, over 2010 and early 2011 I wrote about fifteen short articles, and for the longest time they were logged as two compilation shows at the beginning of the School of Everything Else Archive, but the thing was... they didn't exist... yet.

Now they do, and amid the material you'll get my 2023 commentary giving you some context.

· Intro 2023 (0.00)

· Mission Statement (0.04)

1. Heavy Rain (0.07)

2. Our Digital Rights (0.21)

3. Frustration (0.30)

4. Killing Spree (0.38)

5. Preparing for Real Life (0.46)

6. Shadow of the Colossus (0.57) 

Part 2 of 6

The second of three shows on Season 1 of Gravity Falls. Season 2 will be covered in 2021.

We return to one of the best animated series' to grace the TV screen. A rich, hilarious, fast-paced puzzle-box of twisty mysteries and subversive, genre-savvy capers. Tween twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are staying with their Grunkle Stan for the summer, at his combination gift-shop and rube-trap. But strange things are both out there in the woods, and inside the wooden walls of the Mystery Shack.

Both seasons are available on Disney+ And if you have already finished it and want something similar but haven't yet sunk your beak into The Owl House, that's what's for dessert. 

Episodes Covered: Double Dipper/Irrational Treasure/The Time-Traveller's Pig/Fight Fighters/Little Dipper/Summerween

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch 

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300

I go back to the console everybody is talking about, but rather than making this all about the micro PlayStation Classic I endeavoured to find the alternative best way to play specific games I remember and love as well as a mix of some I missed before.

It's nowhere near as easy as you might think, to just pick up and play. This is an account of what happened.

Games discussed include Resident Evil 1-3, Final Fantasy VII-IX, Tekken 3, WipeOut, Gran Turismo, Soviet Strike, Bloody Roar 2, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, Soul Blade, Driver, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Siphon Filter, Vagrant Story, Spider-Man, Bust-A-Groove, Parappa the Rapper, Dino Crisis 1 & 2 and the promise of more Metal Gear Solid.

This is the first of several episodes on the fantastic Netflix animated show Bojack Horseman. Next week will be an episode on seasons 2 & 3 and at some point we will probably do season 4.

It starts off as a black adult comedy about show business and Hollywood and you could be forgiven for lumping it in with Family Guy, however, it quickly establishes itself as a drama about various deeply flawed, human characters.

Unlike Rick and Morty, though, the core of the existential dread isn't the bleakness of everything, but our desperation to be better, worthwhile people, even as we fail over and over.

It is so worth your time.

Joining us are our good friends Kaoru Negisa and Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours, and genuine stunt actress Maya Santandrea, who brings her insight as to what the business of filming is frequently like. 

A five hour, retro RPG with a story that will stay with you. We recommend everyone play the game before listening. 

It's kind of like a fun Inception.

Laura Kate Dale joins us for a very textured, emotional and personal discussion about this extraordinary experience. 

This show was commissioned by Emanuel Matius, Sean Lyons Burke and Nick Grugin. Patreon supporters at the five dollar level can enjoy a bonus re-release of the episode of Do try This At Home that Sharon recorded in 2013, on this same game. 

Next week; Donnie Darko.

Guest:

Laura Kate Dale of Let's Play Video Games

A commissioned show from Mark Lucksch. First thing I said when I saw the art was "No anime." Mark assured me that with its writer based in the west and Korean rather than Japanese artwork, as well as lack of animation that this text-adventure available on Steam was not, in fact, anime. 

After many hours of playing through this tale of an intelligent, female consciousness inside a computer on a spaceship, with its themes of oppressive, patriarchal tradition, and a woman's prerogative, we both had a rather... strong reaction.

Enjoy?

Next week: Gargoyles

A commissioned show about a 2003 two-part TV miniseries wherein Christopher Eccleston plays a regular bloke from Manchester who suddenly realises that he is the son of God. The story is about how the world takes this news and how it affects his close friends. Also there are demons.

This is new Doctor Who creator Russel T. Davies' hot take on religion.

It made Sharon and I quite angry, and unexpectedly ended up as one of our more thought-provoking shows, most definitely nudging us out of our comfort zone and into the realm of discussing one of the subjects guaranteed to offend somebody.

This is a Vertigo comics series which ran for 60 issues from 1997 to 2002, written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Darick Robertson. 

It is set in a non-specified future where cities stretch out across the planet, filled with bored tech-fetishists all looking for the next distraction. Spider Jerusalem is an infamous gonzo journalist who returns to the otherwise unnamed "The City" to write some books and newspaper columns after years of hiding in a log cabin up a mountain.

This is a book that was hugely influential on me, and while the retro-future it predicted was off the mark in many cases, some of it is so sharp that it's going to hurt to listen. There's blasphemous and depraved content within so you have been warned.

Alasdair Stuart of The Escape Artists joins us to talk about all things Spider in this commissioned show courtesy of Ciaran Dachtler. 

Guest:

Alasdair Stuart of Escape Pod

We've had several requests over the course of our show to cover THE ENTIRETY of Doctor Who, or even just "Everything since 2005". Eventually one commissioning Whovian named Andy Nattan came around with a suggestion that would neatly incorporate our knowledge of the Doctor into a discussion about one fairly hilariously bad TV movie made in 1996. It also constitutes (almost) the entire onscreen appearance of the Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann, who was rather good (when he stopped SCREAMING).

So whether you love Who, like it or think it's a load of old toss you'll almost certainly enjoy listening to us talk with long-time Seventh Doctor fan Neil Taylor about this failed pilot, starring Eric Roberts as The Terminator, featuring a really REALLY accurate clock, a wibbly window and a jizz-snake.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

In 2013 a brand new Marvel character was introduced to the world, one who is very reminiscent of classic Peter Parker, a goofy, hapless, sweet-natured teenager who just wants to help people. She's also the world's premier, headlining Muslim superhero, and very much due a movie or TV series to bring her to mass popularity like those who came before her.

In tonight's episode we are joined by Alasdair Stuart, owner of Escape Artists and longtime comic-book expert, to enthusiastically discuss why the younger generations are already loving Kamala Khan, and why she's so important in the grand scheme.

You don't have to have read any of her comics, but by the end of this you will want to. 

This was a commissioned show, and we kick off with some important (and good news) about future commissions. 

Guest:

Alasdair Stuart of Escape Pod

This is the third show I have put together about the Legend of Zelda series. The first was back in 2010 for Digital Cowboys when we covered most of the games in the series. The second was in early 2012 on Digital Gonzo when we covered the contentious Skyward Sword on the Wii (This episode is now available exclusively through Patreon). This time we're looking at a bunch that we missed first time round, and one or two that have emerged more recently.

2001. Oracle of Seasons/Ages 2004. The Minish Cap 2006. Twilight Princess 2007. Link’s Crossbow Training 2007. The Phantom Hourglass 2009. Spirit Tracks 2011. Ocarina of Time 3D 2013. A Link Between Worlds 2013. Wind Waker HD 2014. Hyrule Warriors 2015. Majora's Mask 3D

My guests this time are Laura Kate Dale, Gary Blower, Glen Watts, Iain Hopwood, Lloyd Huhn, David Garcia Abril and Richard Lago. This show was recorded back in 2015 while the Switch was still called the NX, Breath of the Wild didn't have a name and Twilight Princess HD had yet to be announced. When we do a fourth Zelda show it will be a lot sooner and will be all about Breath of the Wild, which after thirty or so hours of play may be my favourite of them all.

Guests:

Laura Kate Dale of Lets Play Video Games

Gary Blower of GameBurst

Iain Hopwood of Year of Steam

Lloyd Huhn

David Garcia Abril

Richard Lago

Glen Watts

Welcome to a show which explores why, after decades of producing consoles and video games, Nintendo feels special in a way that the others do not. More than two dozen people have recorded their memories and insight and sent them to me to arrange. A picture begins to emerge of a troubled relationship with someone capable of amazing creative endeavours and baffling business decisions. Someone who many of us can never fully let go because of the power of these happy memories of childhood, family and the hundreds of gaming worlds which we charted together (some of us literally, you had to draw your maps in pencil back then).

As the Switch is launched we look back on what the emergence of a new console meant to us, and why we always come back to a place of hope.

Infinite thank yous to my guests, without which this show would not have been possible.

1.   Intro* 2.   Brendan Agnew of Cinapse 3.   Sam Chapter 4.   James Batchelor of Bond and Beyond 5.   Collin 6.   Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits 7.   Daniel Den Heijer 8.   Toby Jungius 9.   James Carter of Cane and Rinse 10.   Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse 11.   My Old Friend Nintendo (Alex) 12.   Paschal Dooley 13.   Chris O Regan of Spong 14.   Leon Cox of Cane and Rinse 15.   Blast Processing (Lyra) 16.   Bob Chipman of Geek.com 17.   Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg 18.   Nama Chibitty 19.   Derrick Ritchie 20.   James Perkins of The Digital Fix 21.   Gary and Imogen Blower of GameBurst 22.   Dan Mayer 23.   Darren Gargette of Cane and Rinse 24.   Holly Dotson 25.   Player 1 & Player 2 of Cartridge Bros 26.   Jason Slate of The Mana Pool 27.   Matt Wardle 28.   Laureta Sela of New Century 29.   Alex Shaw 30.   Lyra Shaw

*Voices in the opening montage also include Alexander Jahans, Gustav Dahl and Johan Kristian Milde

This is yet another very special episode.

We get swept up in the Broadway musical phenomenon about one of America's relatively unsung founding fathers, presented to modern audiences as a hip-hopera.

It was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songwriter for Moana. It is amazing. It is available to hear all over YouTube and the soundtrack (which will almost certainly end up on repeat in your house) will be one of the most valued things you buy all year.

If you've never heard of it, or you've only heard some talk and a few songs, you should listen to the first two hours of this show as we set the scene for you and explore the characters. Then go listen or even go see it and come back for the last hour which is all spoilerific endgame material.

Joining Sharon and I are Harrison Brockwell, Kaoru Negisa, Jesse Ferguson and Andy Rodriguez.

While there are clips and snippets of the 46 songs throughout the show, the following 12 are played in their entirety in this order.

1.   Yorktown 2.   Alexander Hamilton 3.   Aaron Burr, Sir 4.   My Shot 5.   You’ll Be Back 6.   The Schuyler Sisters 7.   Satisfied 8.   Cabinet Battle #1 9.   History Has Its Eyes On You 10.   Say No to This 11.   Burn 12.   One Last Time

Arlington on Bandcamp: https://newcentury.bandcamp.com/album/new-century-arlington

Recently the excellent YouTube series Every Frame a Painting asked members of the public if they could hum any of the music from the Marvel films. Unsurprisingly they couldn't come up with anything. There are a few reasons for this, that I go into on the show, but this presentation right here is crafted to allow everyone to explore the music that has come so far. We laser-focus on the core melodies, the hero themes that were left by the wayside as the series evolved and we showcase the wide range of actually rather brilliant musical moments that have punctuated the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Join me for an epic, three hour musical journey, run through the filter of my brain. By the end, if I've done my job, you'll be able to hum at least one piece of Marvel music.

1.   Marvel Logo (Thor: The Dark World) 2.   Back in Black – AC/DC (Iron Man) 3.   Mark II/Driving With the Top Down/Gulmira - Ramin Djawadi (Iron Man) 4.   Iron Man - Black Sabbath (Iron Man) 5.   Main Titles - Craig Armstrong (The Incredible Hulk) 6.   Thunderstruck - AC/DC (Iron Man 2) 7.   Black Widow Kicks Ass/ I Am Iron Man – John Debney (Iron Man 2) 8.   Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC (Iron Man 2) 9.   Prologue/The Compound/Forgive Me/Thor Kills the Destroyer – Patrick Doyle (Thor) 10.   Walk – Foo Fighters (Thor) 11.   Main Titles/Farewell to Bucky/The Star Spangled Man/Triumphant Return/Captain America March – Alan Silvestri (Captain America: The First Avenger) 12.   Main Titles/Helicarrier/Avengers Assemble/A Promise/End Titles – Alan Silvestri (Avengers Assemble) 13.   Live to Rise – Chris Cornel (Avengers Assemble) 14.   Main Titles/Can You Dig It? – Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3) 15.   End Titles/Into Eternity – Brian Tyler (Thor: The Dark World) 16.   Lemurian Star/Project Insight/The Causeway/To the End of the Line/Taking a Stand – Henry Jackman (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) 17.   Soundtrack Medley (Guardians of the Galaxy) 18.   The Kyln Escape/Groot Spores/Groot Cocoon (Guardians of the Galaxy) 19.   Age of Ultron Theme – Danny Elfman (Avengers: Age of Ultron) 20.   Escape - Roger Ayer (Ant-Man) 21.   Ant Man Theme – Christophe Beck (Ant-Man) 22.   Plainsong – The Cure (Ant-Man) 23.   Siberian Overture/Ancestral Call/New Recruit/Closure/Cap’s Promise – Henry Jackman (Captain America: Civil War) 24.   Sharks Don’t Sleep – Dean Valentine (Civil War Trailer) 25.   New Marvel Fanfare 26.   Strange Days Ahead/The Master of the Mystic End Credits – Michael Giacchino (Doctor Strange)

We're bringing this classic show format back after three years away (somehow it skipped over the entirety of Digital Drift). This is the prologue to our 90s Disney Renaissance series of podcasts. Since the songs get so much love and attention and are going to be showcased on our podcasts anyway I brought in James Batchelor to pick with me, pieces of music from the scores of ten years of the very best movies from the house of Mouse.

1. The Little Mermaid – Fathoms Below (Alan Menken 2. Rescuers Down Under – Cody’s Flight (Bruce Broughton) 3. Beauty and the Beast – Transformation (Alan Menken) 4. Aladdin – Cave of Wonders (Alan Menken) 5. The Lion King – King of Pride Rock (Hans Zimmer) 6. Pocahontas – Farewell (Alan Menken) 7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame – The Bell Tower (Alan Menken) 8. Hercules – A True Hero (Alan Menken) 9. Mulan – Burned Out Village (Jerry Goldsmith) 10. Tarzan – A Wondrous Place (Mark Mancina)

Seven childhood friends, calling themselves The Losers pledge to find out what this being is and if they can, stop it for good. They are not entirely successful. 28 years later, they regroup in their forties to journey back to Derry and finish the job.

The novel is huge, but I read through the whole thing, partly because this was a commissioned show, but mainly because it is one of Sharon's lifelong favourites and I hoped this would give me a little more insight into her inner workings. It did. When I had finished I felt like I'd been on a really significant journey.

We cover the two-part TV miniseries and speculate on ways that this might be adapted into the feature film duet beginning late 2017.

This is an interview Sharon and I hosted with Ryan Estrada, writer, artist, producer of many many different projects, the latest being Big Data.

(It was originally published in two parts and now, in its complete form it is patreon-only content)

*There are seven keys to the internet, what if each in turn was stolen? Could our repository of information and primary means of communication really be shut down?*

This nine part comedy anthology audio drama, funded by Kickstarter is currently on episode four. It's also got a cast that will set many geeks a-quivering with Paul F. Thompkins (Bojack Horseman) Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Felicia Day (The Guild), plus 69 other voices. Here we discuss with Ryan the inception of the story, the complex casting and direction process, and (in a fairly spoiler-free way) some of his favourite moments. 

Go here to listen to the first few (though you could also listen to this interview first).

http://bigdata.show/ 

As we say in the interview, episode 1 is a little chaotic so make sure you stick with it for the next few and you will see (or hear) the grander epic taking form. Huge thanks to Ryan for being so generous with his time, and it was fantastic to be able to discuss the finer points with him. 

This is a deep dive into the very first Resident Evil game, as well as the GameCube remake and the HD remake of the remake. By no means the first survival horror, but a definite landmark in the genre and a stone cold classic that is somehow better today than it was in 1996. 

Far from the clodhopping buffoonery of the movie series the first game is a deceptively simple premise. Two special forces units investigating a bizarre series of murders which leads them to a darkened and horrifying mansion, itself the greatest character in this series. Before too long you're solving elaborate puzzles, avoiding traps, combing through rooms to find useful items, stockpiling ammunition (which if you're playing on the right difficulty setting for you there will always be scant available) and fending off attacks from the shadows from all sorts of bloodcurdling monsters. 

It's nothing short of a masterpiece, endlessly replayable and now with the HD remaster the obtuse control scheme is fixed. 

With me is Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg on YouTube (and you should check out his Resident Evil video retrospective here) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH9jfP2Sask

Laura Kate Dale AKA Laura K Buzz of projects too numerous to name (here's her Patreon) https://www.patreon.com/LauraKBuzz/posts

And we're also joined by my good friend Derrick Ritchie.

The second collection of clips from my shows, this time covering the period between 2013 and 2016 when Sharon became my co-host, Digital Drift and School of Movies. They are pulled from fewer overall episodes but they are more meaty and substantial with some of the funniest, sustained moments and memories. You'll also hear from my guest spots from That Awful Sound and The Mana Pool along with a host of new voices. And of course the now-infamous introduction of Dramatic Readings and Bad Reviews Against Humanity. Volume 3: Digital Drift Avatar Responses [DD49 2014 - 0.01.00] The formation of Digital Drift [0.02.05] 50 Shades Trilogy Rant [DD06 - 0.06.25] We Hate Movies [DD05 - 0.09.30] Rhianna Pratchett [DD08 - 0.25.38] Spider-Man 3 - Harry's Problem [DD12 - 0.32.18] Transformers - Non-Dairy Dessert [DD32 - 0.36.01] I've Been a Bad, Bad Angel [That Awful Sound #18 - 2015 - 0.37.36] Volume 4: School of Movies Robin Hood - Hysterical Inaccuracy [SOM143 2016 - 0.57.53] Flight of Dragons - Racist Wizards [SOM145 - 1.05.21] Terminator 3 - Joshua Rants [DD72 Mid-2015 - 1.11.02] Deadpool - Colossus on Music [SOM146 - 1.24.06] Making Fantasy Fun [Mana Pool #393 - 2015 - 1.27.11] The New Century Multiverse 101 [1.35.58] Jurassic Wrestling [DD68 - Mid 2015 - 1.47.54] The Daddle [DD44 - Late 2014 - 1.56.32] Crap Chinese Toys [DD48 - 1.59.50] RobertCop 2 [School of Everything Else #88 - 2.09.35] Grey [SOEE87 - Late 2015 - 2.14.17] Credits [2.22.50]

Alex's 500th Podcast.

• Another Day at the Office [Joinee Radio, Early 2007 - 0.01.22]
• Curse of the Golden Flower [Digital Cowboys Episode 01 - 0.06.36]
• An Important Announcement [DC48, 2008 - 0.08.58]
• First Meeting With Daniel Floyd [DC10, 2009 - 0.12.13]
• Red vs Blue Interview [DC126 - 0.15.24]
• Giant Bomb Snackbox [DC104 - 0.19.40]
• Jonathan Coulton Interview [DC121 - 0.22.23]
• Dominik Diamond Interview [DC133 - 0.27.07]
• The Wii - First Meeting With James Batchelor [DC130 - 0.32.51]
• First Meeting With Neil Taylor [DC167, 2010 - 0.34.37]
• Duke Nukem Kicked Out [DC180 - 0.35.18]
• Legends of Zelda - Opening Montage [DC164 - 0.38.41]
• Paul & Storm Interview [DC163 - 0.42.53]
• Digital Cowboys - The Last One [DC109, 2011 - 0.49.10]

Volume 2: Digital Gonzo

• New Solo Show [Digital Gonzo Episode 42, 2011 - 0.55.23]
• Thor - Alex Doing Mr Plinkett Doing Thor [DG70, 2012 - 0059.44]
• Never Mind the BuzzGeeks: Cosmocats [DG33 - 1.02.20]
• Back to the Future - Time Travel [DG19 - 1.05.00]
• Fire [The Internet News - 1.09.42]
• Never Mind the BuzzGeeks: Coffee Commercials [DG39 - 1.13.06]
• Movie Clichés - The Wilhelm Scream [DG34 - 1.15.43]
• Schools [The Internet News - 1.17.44]
• Blue Sun Audio Drama [DG35 - 1.22.25]
• James Bond - The Henchman Agent #1 [DG43 - 1.29.30]
• James Bond - Henchman Agent #2/Herr Stamper [DG45 - 1.33.51]
• Firefly - The Henchman Agent #4 [DG106 - 1.33.52]
• Batman Returns - The Henchman Agent #3/The Finale [DG77 - 1.36.51]
• Alien - Shotgun Penis [DG74 - 1.41.36]
• Alien Resurrection - Alien DNA/Executives [DG82 - 1.45.29]
• Superman IV - Physics! [DG133, 2013 - 1.51.56]
• Sound of Gonzo - Snowboarding Spy [DG102 - 1.57.00]
• The Last Airbender - Exposition Scrolls [DG95 - 1.59.26]
• Sound of Gonzo - Vice City/Dance Hall Deadlock [DG142 - 2.00.47]
• Iron Man 3 Avengers in Advertising [DG154 - 2.02.51]
• Return of the King - Lyra on LOTR [DG112 - 2.06.40]
• The Two Towers - Gollum [DG111 - 2.07.36]
• An Unexpected Journey - Gollum-Off [DG113 - 2.11.29]
• Fan Response - First Meeting With Bob Chipman [DG149 - 2.12.25]
• Pacific Rim - Signing Off [DG161 - 2.21.30]
• Tower of the Sorcerer - "Can I Ride It?" [DG150 - 2.32.15]

This week's episode is all about one of the first wildly popular toy and animated show tie-ins. Emerging in 1982 the Masters of the Universe toy line was hot on the heels of Star Wars and (thanks to the repeal of certain laws about ethics in programming) was able to advertise its products to the child during the commercial breaks as they were watching the show. And of course, seeing as most of the characters featured were already toys, every episode was a commercial in its own right. He-Man is, by today's standards a dreadfully polite pacifist who seeks only to hold Eternia's morals in check, whist Skeletor is a charmingly gentle nitwit who seeks power via boneheaded schemes. Both of them have colourful henchmen and at the end of the day nobody is getting hurt.  She-Ra is a scenario much the same, only she and her buddies in the Great Rebellion are always on the back foot and Hordak is an oppressive warmonger that they are trying to depose, giving that show more of a struggle and stakes, and a rather empowering female hero for many girls (and boys) to be inspired by. Stay to the end to see how Mattel sold this strong woman in doll form.  We also cover the ill-fated New Adventures and the badass 200X show. Next week we're looking at the 1987 Dolph Lundgren movie. 

This one has been a long time coming. Maybe the most significant animated series of my childhood, Thundercats (1985) was, for me, age 6, the promise of adventure. Seven cat-people escape the doomed planet of Thundera and find a new home in the lush, expansive new world of Third Earth. But then never bargained on their old enemies, the mutants pursuing them and forming an unholy alliance with this new planet's ancient demon priest, Mumm-Ra.  When you go back and investigate aged 36 however, it's a creaky, ponderous, derivative, bloodless, tension-free grab-bag of embarrassing dialogue, ridiculous over the top performances and tropes that were worn into the ground a decade or two ago.  I've got so much better TV to watch, animated series' have reached unforeseen heights of excellence... so why do I still love Thundercats? And in 2011 when a new series was attempted and sank without trace after an unsatisfying ending that suggested a much larger story-line, why did I love that too?  It's not just nostalgia, there's more to both of these shows. Allow me and Sharon and Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst to elucidate for you. We framed this so that fans of the show, people who hated the show and those who have never had the dubious pleasure of watching it could all enjoy our podcast.  In the second section we discuss Mumm-Ra's motivation, some unanswerable questions and our favourite episodes.

This show (which is one of the best individual podcasts we've ever put together) is all about The Hero's Journey. It explores the monomyth, the idea that nearly all of the tales that we embrace as a species are telling the same story.  Carl Jung theorized with the collective unconscious that our brains are all roughly the same shaped organ, with very similar emotional responses which have remained very similar for thousands of years, so it stands to reason that there would be certain universally appealing themes that we like to explore time and again.  Joseph Campbell codified this in the 1940s by examining our mythology, dating back to ancient times and analyzing recurring patterns in the most abiding stories from all over the world when he put together his seminal work; The Hero With a Thousand Faces. This includes a multi-part symbolic series of events a hero always seems to go through in some form or another and what that really means.  Christopher Vogler took this further with his book The Writer's Journey, examining the most popular and successful movies and the similarities therein. And we ourselves have produced literally hundreds of podcasts covering our favourite movies, the greater proportion of which this manner of thinking can be applied to.  So it's time to take a deep dive into what those steps are and why they are so important to our species.  Joining us are Megan Hopwood and Lorin Grieve, both of whom have also taken a longtime interest in this.  You're in for a treat here.

Mirroring our Lord of the Rings Prologue recorded all the way back in 2012 and leading us into the Peter Jackson and Weta Middle-earth series, this is the bookend that marks its closing. Less of a celebration of the immense achievement pulling off this second trilogy was (for that you can listen to the individual review shows), this is instead a post-mortem where myself, Sharon and Chris Eason of GameBurst (who has been with us for every one of the Tolkein shows) dissect the carcass of the lesser film adaptations of Tolkein's lesser work.  Far from jump-starting a second wave of fascination with fantasy, these three movies seem to have put a lid on the entire genre, with great success at the box office but lukewarm critical and audience response. This leaves it to other movie series' to reinvigorate public interest, a task made far harder by the existence of these films.  We adore Weta Workshop and the cast and crew of this whole saga (listening to the five hour reviews of each of the Lord of the Rings movies should make that clear), so this is deeply painful for us, but it is an investigation and a conversation that needed to happen as we account for the good, the bad and the ugly, over-designed troll with spiked maces on his amputated legs, cleavers on his amputated arms, and chained hooks through his blinded eyeballs.

The second half of the session with The Mana Pool (Following on from Vol. 4 these were previously combined into the frankly-too long Vol. 6)

More rotten reviews from the terminally unreasonable. Special focus is given to an art print of British personality Paul Ross, an ancient Gaelic retelling of Star Wars and the magic testicles of the most beloved lion ever.

Joining us from The Mana Pool (a Magic: The Gathering podcast that we guested on) Jason Chewie Slate, and Bill Bloodworth, and their buddy from Card Advantage; Aaron LaCluyze.

The first part of this show is spoiler-free so if you need any more convincing to go track this down on DVD or Blu Ray, let this be it. Recorded many months before seeing The Force Awakens this was the perfect show to draw us back into the world of Star Wars. 

It may seem very kid-friendly but it's got a lot of darkness and a lot of heart to back that up and some great colourful characters you will want to follow the adventures of. Neil Taylor of GameBurst and Alex Eding of Plaid Hat Gaming once again join Sharon and myself to return to a galaxy far, far away. 

The second part is all spoilerific character discussion and events that take place in the second half of the first season. We will let you know when to leave off if you haven't seen it yet. Remedy this at once, it's terrific! 

If you love these shows support them on Patreon.

To see in the new year and take a brief respite from Star Wars we're doing another round of reading out some of the most irrational, sarcastic and hilarious movie reviews from the @AmznMovieRevws twitter feed. 

Along with this is a series of dramatic readings from many sources, most notably the fourth Fifty Shades of Grey book from the ongoing billionaire pervert saga; Grey. This show was separated into two parts because the original version (Vol. 6 was frankly too long).

Joining us from The Mana Pool (a Magic: The Gathering podcast that we guested on) Jason Chewie Slate, and Bill Bloodworth, and their buddy from Card Advantage; Aaron LaCluyze.

Once again, don't drive or operate heavy machinery while listening to this one. We don't want to be responsible for any mishaps incurred while laughing hysterically.

A truly stellar cast join Sharon and I to discuss this critically acclaimed Netflix show; Laura Kate Dale of Destructoid and the Jimquisition podcast, Alasdair Stuart of Psudopod and the Escape Artists, Marguerite Kenner of Cast of Wonders and Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse.  This is a seriously epic three hour discussion. I barely cut anything out because everybody was so on-point the whole time. We strongly suggest you see the whole of Season 1 first. 

On this very special episode (in the week I'm celebrating eight years in the podcasting game) I gathered Bob "Moviebob" Chipman, Parris Lilly of "Gamertag Radio" and Joe Cunningham of the "Cinematic Universe" podcast, and along with my wife and co-host Sharon Shaw we asked ourselves...  

Which are the seven most important superhero movies to date?  

Not our favourites, not best, most important.   

We debated them up and down the history and our conclusions may surprise you... or they may be the exact seven you chose in which case you have your finger well and truly on the pulse because we spent ages on this.   It's a brilliant episode and one I was so proud to host. A big thank you to our guests who brought all kinds of intelligent and reasoned viewpoints along with them. 

The first season of the Netflix show. I’ll say up front this is not our favourite Marvel production. Not only do we bring up what we feel are its weaker aspects but just FYI it gets very vitriolic about the feature-creep of torture and mutilation into adult TV. This rant has been a long time coming folks. But there are of course aspects that we like and indeed love, and we definitely want to see more.

With the world unbalanced, Korra and her companions struggle to manage the repercussions from the pendulum-swing back from chaos to order.

This time we're talking about Prince Wu, Kuvira, some old swamp lady, and the rather contentious coupling at the end of the series. In a pinch of nostalgia I went back to the intro from that first Korra show we did all those years back... well two and a half, but it feels like a lot longer. And to close out, the world premier of the trailer for Season 2 of New Century. 

Joining me once again are my co-host; Sharon Shaw, Daniel Floyd, the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, and Jerome McIntosh, now of GameBurst. 

The long awaited, much-demanded continuation of the Avatar podcasts is here. We're releasing four podcasts throughout this month, two each for Books 3 & 4 of The Legend of Korra. It's the last we'll see of the series, maybe forever, but certainly for a while, so let's take our time and enjoy ourselves.

Joining me once again after another year I have my now co-host; Sharon Shaw, Daniel Floyd, the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, and Jerome McIntosh, now of GameBurst. Duane Griffiths from the previous six episodes couldn't make it, but sends his regards.

We cover the following themes; Behind the scenes and going digital-only, renewal and rebirth, duty and responsibility, family and frustration, anarchy, freedom and control. 

We cover the divisive second season of one of the most talked about and exceptional animated shows ever created. This time round the Miyazaki influence is even more prominent, the animation veers from a little bit sloppy to more breathtakingly beautiful than it's ever been, there are character and narrative issues, longtime fans still calling foul and love and hate being bent back and forth like so much water and fire.   

Joining me once again after a year I have Daniel Floyd, the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, Sharon Shaw of Do Try This at Home, Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst and from Gonzo Planet, Duane Griffiths. As well as this epic round-table session I have included essay materials from Andy Rodriguez and Nama Chibitty, offering some quite differing perspectives on the overarching saga. 

This covers the first season of the follow up to The Legend of Aang.

Major spoilers throughout so we heartily suggest that you not only see the entirety of Korra first but seek out the original series in case you weren't aware how highly we regard it.

Joining me once again to talk about Airbending, extremist solutions, and the challenge of matching the quality and storytelling of the finest animated show ever created, I have Daniel Floyd, Pixar animator and the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, and from Gonzo Planet, Sharon Shaw, Jerome McIntosh and Duane Griffiths.

Thank you to all our new listeners for your support and questions. You can contact me through the Gonzo Planet website and you should all definitely check out the forums and leave iTunes reviews, Facebook likes and jubulant tweets. Stay tuned to the very end to hear a trailer for Batman: Breakdown an original audio drama I released for episode #90 and maybe the best thing I've helped create aside from my daughter.

Next week, Gonzo Gaming returns with The 10 Most Important Games of this Generation in Digital Gonzo #100.

After the uproarious reception that the Bad Reviews Against Humanity shows brought, we decided on a series of dramatic readings. This is based on a sci-fi convention game wherein one of the worst pieces of fantasy literature in history; The Eye of Argon' gets read aloud. If the current narrator laughs he or she must pass it on. We went beyond Argon by embracing a now infamous children's book, a movie script written by a longtime friend of mine, the intro to a public information film about the evils of marijuana and an article from Cracked.com on shoddy toys with worrying claims on their packaging.

1. The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis 2. Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Programmer [With Stickers] by Susan Marenco 3. Another Day at the Office by Thomas Underhill 4. Reefer Madness by Arthur Hoerl 5. The Ten Most Unintentionally Hilarious Toys Exported by China by Seanbaby

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-10-most-unintentionally-hilarious-toys-exported-by-china/

Our guest speakers this week are...

* Laura Kate Dale of (among others) 'Podcastquisition' * Lou Fernandez of 'Lou Reads the Internet For You'. * Derrick Ritchie of 'The Console Ninjas Podcast'. * Lorin Grieve of the Digital Drift community.

And by popular demand we begin with Lou reading out ten bad reviews from @AmznMovieRevws 

We pit the two most powerful consoles of the age against one another. 

A return to the pop culture quiz show, this time covering that most overlooked decade, the 90s.

This week, we tracked down some of the funniest reviews all over the internet for all kinds of products, not just movies and not just Amazon. 

The main reason was variety but we also had the pleasure of Joseph Grabinski the editor of the @AmznMovieRevws Twitter feed as a guest so we wanted to present him and his followers with something they might not have read yet. 

It was a packed show; as you might imagine this format has been insanely popular and everyone wanted a piece of the action. Our other guests included (returning from previous Volumes) Joshua Garrity and James Carter from Cane and Rinse, Jerome McIntosh of Gameburst (pitching up for his first go at B.R.A.H.) and for the first time on our show, from the Cartridge Bros. podcast it's the mysterious fellow known only as "Player 1"

WARNING!: Do not attempt to drive, lift weights or engage in sexual intercourse while listening to this episode. You may have a fatal mishap from laughing too hard. In fact this is the first podcast I'm putting a general health warning on: It may be the funniest thing you will ever hear and thus break funny bones everywhere, leaving life by comparison dull and grey. Jerome had to resort to his inhaler in the end, though he assures me this was worth it.

We're back for more incisive, scathing and occasionally insane critique from some strange people. 

The first installment was met with adulation from everyone. In fact this is an official warning not to listen while driving, your uncontrollable fits of hysterical laughter could result in catastrophic car pile-ups. 

Once again these mini-review snippets were gleaned from the Twitter feed @AmznMovieRevws who very kindly retweeted our show for us. 

For this episode Sharon and I recruited Neil Taylor of GameBurst, James Carter of Cane and Rinse and Lorin Grieve of the Digital Drift Community.Once again our reading is a cocktail of the shocking, competitive play of Cards Against Humanity with the theatrical performance of the much missed GameSpot YouTube show Feedbackula. 

Amazon has a long tradition of unreasonable, miserable and occasionally downright cretinous user reviews. The Twitter feed @AmznMovieRevws is a treasure trove of some of the silliest of these.

For this episode Sharon and I got together with former Digital Cowboy Paul Shotton and Cane and Rinse alumni Josh Garrity and we had a bit of a game. I passed out fifteen reviews each and we competed for fifteen rounds to see who could read the most facepalm-inducing nugget of critical appraisal. 

Prepare thy sides, for they shall split. Some of these reviewers come up with the most splutteringly random of reasons why they don't like movies that are largely agreed upon to be rather great. I shall definitely be revisiting this format. 

This is the full, combined trilogy of podcasts about GamerGate; How it developed, what its effects have been and how we can move forwards.

For the first show I had eight contributors, two of whom would like to remain anonymous, the other six were; M.P.J. Dillon, Holly Dotson, Gavin Greene, A. Reece England, Livio De La Cruz and Kevin Murphy. 

Nine more contributions make up the second part. Some were in response to Volume 1, some elaborated on ideas laid down in that one, others were simply inspired to speak on hearing about this series.

This is both parts combined into one mega-podcast.

The Transformers road trip finally emerges from the ugly, industrial wasteland and like Outrun we find ourselves suddenly experiencing a completely different and altogether more fascinating vista.

Yes, this animated TV show, passed up by the majority of adults as being for the kids just happens to be the greatest depiction of the Autobots and Decepticons ever committed to any medium. Freed of the obligation to deliver spectacle whilst somehow keeping the robots to a minimum this production team somehow manage to capture everything we loved about Generation 1 with the best bits from the movies, shows, comics and games in between. 

Focus is on companionship between the Autobots and the human teenagers they are protecting, with the kids giving perspective to the bots and vice versa. The Decepticons are no longer snarling hyper-aggressive insectoids but a charismatic, entertaining team in their own right. Starscream reaches his full potential to become a scheming metal Iago, Soundwave somehow manages to be even more creepy NOT speaking and  Megatron goes from being the one-dimensional byword for tedious head villain to a genuinely frightening and compelling warmonger.

As for the Autobots, Bulkhead and Bumblebee take their cues from the Iron Giant and R2-D2, Ratchet is played by the Re-Animator himself, Jeffrey Combs like a transfroming Doctor McCoy, guarded warrior Arcee is described on this very show as being like Trinity but less robotic and Peter Cullen turns in his best grave, powerful performance as Optimus, finally being given the kind of things to say and do that make you remember why he's the leader you'd follow into robot hell and back.

It's so good we did two shows on it, covering first Autobots and then Decepticons over Season 1. We've saved the big spoilers for the end of the second show so you really should listen at least that far and then get hold of these. 

Joining us are Mike Hearn of Walter the Wicked web-comic who provided us with stunning Transformers artwork for the website (Visit his Patreon here), Neil Taylor and Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst and Andrew Pidhajeckyk of the Digital Drift Community. 

The Transformers road trip comes to a triumphant end as we close out our Prime conversation in unusual circumstances, discussing a group of characters who have struggled since 1984 to be expressed as anything other than thugs or buffoons, The Decepticons, Turns out all it took to portray them as a group of warriors with their own motivations, weaknesses, misgivings and strengths was decent writing, building upon both well-established characters finally given dimensions of personality and newcomers who swiftly became fan favourites. It's been a wild ride through the Transformers series, but I'm very happy we could end on such a high note.

Joining us once again are Mike Hearn of Walter the Wicked web-comic (I'm a patron of his webcomic http://www.patreon.com/Wicked?ty=a), Neil Taylor and Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst and Andrew Pidhajeckyk of the Digital Drift Community. 

For this last Spider-Man podcast for some time we're focusing on a high note in the character's history and my very favourite representation of him in any media. The short-lived two-season animated show 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' which ran from 2008-2009. 

Developed by Greg Weisman, known for his beloved, high quality, multi-layered and prematurely cancelled TV shows like Gargoyles and Young Justice, Spectacular marries up the fun-loving, innocent Spidey from the 60s combined with more emotionally and dramatically resonant fare from the modern era, particularly the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. It's character-driven, colourful and extremely kid-friendly but also touching and clever and honest about the lives of teens juggling a world of problems, with an enormous rogues gallery and frequently dazzling action.

Both seasons are available on iTunes very reasonably, DVD (though no season 2 in the UK, still), streaming and a wonderful multi-region Blu Ray containing every episode. I cannot recommend this series enough and while we will be discussing the entire plot on this podcast it may be worth listening to anyway to lend you a better appreciation of the show when you do see it. Deeper focus is very often better than surprise and the only way you can really spoil it would be to not watch it.

For this episode we are very proud to interview writer Rhianna Pratchett. She has worked on some of our favourite games, and very specifically helped to craft some of the best female characters in the medium. Her experience includes Heavenly Sword, Overlord, Mirror’s Edge, BioShock Infinite, Viking: Battle for Asgard, Prince of Persia, Risen, Thief and perhaps most notably she was instrumental in transforming Lara Croft from Mary-Sue, gun-toting tit-machine to the far more real person she represents today in 2013’s Tomb Raider.

We talk at length about her past experiences and connections, the requirements for a writer in the world of gaming, female/female relationships in narrative, Conan the Barbarian, and of course Time Bandits.

Her website can be found here: http://www.rhiannapratchett.com/

We talk about why the video game market crashed twice before. 

It's taken over a year, but Sharon has finally completed her read through of E.L. James' Fifty Shades trilogy. This episode is a compilation of material from different shows to give you a full review series. In principle it's a two and a half hour rant on her part about this skewed, uninformed and often just plain wrongheaded view of women, men, sex, relationships, hetero-normativity, wealth, worth and abuse, both physical and psychological. In execution it's a blistering hellstorm of righteous indignation and high-pitched shrieking. You have been warned.

00.01.10: Fifty Shades of Grey (From DorkCast #5) 00.49.00: Fifty Shades Darker (From the DorkCast Fifty Shades Special) 01.25.00: Fifty Shades Freed (Digital Drift #6)

You will also hear Tony Atkins of Cane and Rinse with a reading from the first book at 37.40 which was originally on The Same Coin podcast episode #11. The DorkCast episodes were produced by and hosted by Leah Haydu and you will also hear a little of Matt Ramsey.

It goes without saying; very very obscene content!

This week we talk to two of the hosts of one of the funniest, most insightful movie podcasts we've yet heard; Andrew Jupin and Eric Szyszka of We Hate Movies. 

As is discussed on the show, don't let the name fool you. You'd be hard pressed to find a bunch of chaps who love movies more than these guys, and while they often cover well-known stinkers they most frequently mine comedy value from films nobody ever seems to talk about, which tend to be the obscure, the ridiculous and/or the terrible. For many years they have accumulated a vast archive of reviews and experimental tangent shows, so once you've heard this episode go ahead and mosey on over to www.whmpodcast.com and check out what's on offer in the full collection. Then subscribe on iTunes and you'll find a generous helping of their shows on there.  

I'll confess to being a little excited at getting these guys on our show as we take the opportunity to ask all about how they started out, their review style, why they focus on these forgotten, dubious gems and we get to showcase some of the funniest moments of the past few years, including...

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Jaws: The Revenge, Casper, After Earth, Star Trek: Insurrection and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.

We also talk a little about my show for the benefit of newcomers, and why I haven't yet covered the Transformers franchise. Five more episodes of We Hate Movies, I heartily recommend for my listeners

Bad Boys II, Batman Forever, Godzilla, Mrs Doubtfire and A Good Day to Die Hard (Because we sure as shit will not be covering that last one).

We interview The Married Gamers, Chris and Kelly Brown. 

In this, the first non-movie-related episode of the third volume of our shows, we speak to the charity Special Effect, who help disabled and disadvantaged people play video games. 

Couple of weeks ago after becoming fascinated by the broader concepts of the Fan Response show and looking for a more anthropological approach to studying online human behaviour I came across a podcast called Lou Reads the Internet. On this podcast which has run for over 120 episodes since March 2009, host Lou Fernandez simply reads aloud, almost always from forums, almost always the words of people who have… special interests. Now these could be racists, misogynists, fetishists, and fantasists from all walks of life.  He proceeds for fifteen to thirty minutes and tries his level best to remain impartial. Some of his most interesting episodes are ones he is obviously ruffled by the content and breaks down repeatedly. 

I devoured show after show, hearing from Tea Partyers, adult babies, furrys, men with big penises, men with tiny penises, meth addicts, beleaguered hotel workers, those who are poised for The Rapture and white supremacists looking to make their hate-filled rhetoric more appealing to children. It is not, repeat not, I repeat once again NOT for the faint hearted or those with weak constitutions and since I have Lou with me tonight to talk about his show, I am issuing a warning to all my listeners...

This is going to get disgusting! You may end up nauseous, furious, terrified. This is effectively extreme podcasting. I will try my level best to keep the conversation under control, but I’d strongly suggest that if it gets too much you switch off and come back for next week’s episode on Thor: The Dark World. It also goes without saying that if you are a child listening to this, turn off now. There are things you need to spend more of your life not knowing about. 

Be sure to tweet me with the timestamp for where we broke you. I’ll compile a list and this will probably end up more of an endurance contest. It is, however, possible that you may be fascinated by some of this. Below is the approximate, but not exact running order of topics. And if you start listening to Lou's show because of me then be sure to let him know. 

This made me question both my tolerance levels and how judgmental I am.

• The Misogynists 
• The Anti-Liberals
• The Torture Porn Fanatics 
• The Religious Zealots 
• The Adult Babies
• The Pokevores 
• The Drug Addicts
• The Zoophiles
• The Incest Lovers
• The Bodily Fluid Fetishists
• The Beleaguered Hotel Workers
• The Pandora Dreamers
• The Super-Racists

One last thing. this show has nothing to do with the now departed singer Lou Reed. We recorded it on October 10th and he died in the meantime. Just in case anybody wonders.

The 150th episode of Digital Gonzo.

This was a one-off show inspired by the episode of Community 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'. It's a sit-down gaming session conducted over Skype with myself as Dungeon Master and my guests as a team of adventurers. For this one we were using the flexible, simple ruleset of Advanced Fighting Fantasy by Graham Bottley which itself stems from the gamebooks of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone (The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Deathtrap Dungeon) and detailed in the starter book Dungeoneer. This is the first of the two adventures within that book.

I wanted to bring you guys something different, in the style I have honed over the years so there's music and sound FX as well as a hefty chunk of silliness and getting into character. The lengthier fights have been edited for pacing but you're mainly missing a lot of dice rolls. The team that begins this story comprises of the following.

Thrale Copperhelm: A tough-as-nails dwarf, played by Neil Taylor of GameBurst Lastern Darkfire: An elf fresh out of the forests, played by Mark Reay of The A.I. Bots Kellis Payge: A human mage from the city watch of Chalice, played by Sharon Shaw of School of Movies Harron Brondyn: A sarcastic thief played by Matt Ramsey of Do Try This at Home

Focus is on character and story over action and complex systems, almost closer to an audio drama than the recording of a game. The guest soundtrack for this week is the original World of Warcraft OST by Jason Hayes, Tracy W. Bush, Derek Duke, and Glenn Stafford. Many thanks to my guests, who played brilliantly and went easy on me in my first-time role as Dungeon Master. The combat rules were still being learned by all of us, also Gonzo is an adult podcast and we use adult language in this. 

And thank you all for making this one of the warmest, smartest, funniest communities on the internet for 150 episodes of Gonzo.

This episode, originally published in September 2013 I invited on Bob Chipman, AKA MovieBob along with Daniel Floyd and Leelee Scalaferri of Extra Credits to talk about the age old scenario of fans flipping their lids when something they love is perceived as being meddled with. With the ascent of Twitter and Facebook, forums, comments sections and YouTube we have more opportunities than ever before to voice our discontent, and voice it we have in ways often so hostile and illegible that some sections of the internet appear to be transcripts of the death-screeching of broken killer robots with electronic Tourette's syndrome. 

Among other specific instances we cover Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist frequency, The Xbox One, Batfleck, Phil Fish, Grand Theft Auto V, Devil May Cry, Mass Effect 3, Green Lantern, The Star Wars Special Editions and Fifty Shades of Grey. The aim was not to be wholly objective and detached and there is a lot of opinion being flung back and forth during this crackling debate with four vibrant personalities all vying for the mic, but we do try our best to be fair.  

To illustrate the many facets of this immense debate I have employed audio segments from some of the best and brightest.

With Great Power [Bob Chipman: The Big Picture] Crass Effect [Bob Chimpan: Game Overthinker] Rebecca Black [Charlie Brooker: 10 O’ Clock Live] Anita Sarkeesian: The Monster Gamers Created [Jim Sterling: Jimquisition] Harassment [Daniel Floyd & James Portnow: Extra Credits] GTA V Review Revulsion [Johnny Chiodini: GameSpot - Feedbackula] Guide to Comments [Vi Hart] A Day at the Park [Kiriakakis: Mused]

Bob, Dan and Leelee have made hundreds of video presentations between them and their recommendations if you're newcomers are the following.

Extra Credits [Of Penny Arcade TV]

• Call of Juarez: The Cartel
• A Little Bit of Yesterday
• Art is not the Opposite of Fun

Moviebob

• The Big Picture - Skin Game
• Game Overthinker - Never Grow Old

Music on the show played by Lindsey Stirling

• Crystallize 
• Elements
• Electric Daisy Violin

Of course there wasn't time to discuss a bunch of well known examples, including the Derpy Hooves debacle but we do want this show to spark debate on ways for the more considerate side of the internet to gain more of a vocal share of the general discussion, which often seems to be dominated by the enraged and abusive.

This was the most requested Gonzo show in history. For a project of this magnitude we needed a Dynamic Analysis, so the first hour is a collection of audio articles. The second half focuses on the rest of it. There are definitely still issues with combat and structure that affect the gameplay experience regardless of how you felt about its close, but there is also a deep and rich adventure to be had finding everyone and everything in the last hours before the galaxy takes on the Reapers. There were so many people who wanted to talk about this game that I couldn't not confine them to a single, epic round-table, so instead we have three. Appropriately you'll meet many old faces and some new. Everyone has something to say. At the close we spend a good 48 minutes talking about the Citadel DLC with full plot spoilers for that as well as Leviathan and Omega. Everyone present agreed that Citadel was downright essential if you love the characters of Mass Effect so if nothing else, play that before you listen to the last third of this show. Introduction FilmCritHulk: A Few Words on the Ending of Mass Effect 3 [Read by Alex Shaw] (0.00.50) Sharon Shaw: The Third Choice (0.21.37) J.C. Hutchins: Blood on My Hands: My Failure and Redemption in Mass Effect(0.30.50) Leelee Scaldaferri: The Center of the Universe (0.53.07) Alex Shaw: On Taking Back Earth (1.03.00) Round Table 1: Margeurite Kenner & Alasdair Stuart (1.05.44) Alex Shaw: Some Statistics (1.40.30) Round Table 2: Neil Taylor, Jerome McIntosh & James Perkins (1.44.25) Round Table 3: Matt Ramsey, Leelee Scaldaferri & Sharon Shaw (2.21.38) The Idea Channel: Will Space Travel Save Us? (3.07.00) Alex Shaw: Shepard Effects (3.15.16) Citadel (3.21.40) Margeurite can be found on Cast of Wonders, Leelee is the artist for Extra Credits. You'll also hear a segment from The Idea Channel which is available on YouTube and something I sincerely suggest you each spend a few hours delving into. Some incredible, funny, lightly delivered, deeply considered six-minute lectures on there. Kind of like TED Talks but with more visual flair and packed to the gills with blink-and-you'll-miss-it geeky references. It's been a great ride on the Normandy. I hope some day soon we can come back and re-enter this universe which has played host to some of our favourite games of all time.

This is the second part of our epic trilogy of review podcasts focusing on the Mass Effect game series from Bioware. Game two was a significant polishing up of the original's formula with tighter combat, more fluid and dynamic presentation and a greater focus on characterization. As a result and for many other reasons detailed within, this is widely regarded as the most beloved of the trilogy.

So in this week's episode my crew and I go deep into the shadowy world of the resurrected and reinstated Commander Shepard, now assembling a small army, all of whom must be ready to die to protect our galaxy.

If you haven’t played it, once again we keep the major spoilers regarding the finale and the essential Shadow Broker DLC for a section at the end. Returning to the Normandy are Matt Ramsey of the DO Try This at Home podcast, Neil Taylor and James Perkins of GameBurst and Jerome McIntosh of the Gonzo Planet community. We’ll be back in a month to talk about Mass Effect 3.

This is the first part of our epic trilogy of review podcasts focusing on the Mass Effect game series from Bioware. Originally released in 2007 on Xbox 360 and following on the heels of Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, this was the Canadian developer’s original take on a serious Sci-Fi space opera.

The first game is not without its flaws and the frustrating combat, slow beginning, vehicle sections, simplistic hacking, texture pop, and crazy glitches are all hauled over the coals, however, this is balanced with effusive praise for the characterization, in-depth discussions about the textured and detailed worlds they have built, first rate voice acting, storyline and narrative sweep.

If you’ve played it and enjoyed it overall you will be well at home. If you haven’t played it we keep the major spoilers for a section at the end so you can listen in and find out what all the fuss is about. My crew are Matt Ramsey of GamerDork, Neil Taylor of GameBurst, James Perkins of GameBurst and Geek Wad, Justin Smith of Last Save Loaded and Jerome McIntosh of the Gonzo planet community. We’ll be back in a month to talk about Mass Effect 2 and then four weeks after that for Mass Effect 3.

A classic episode where we discuss the comic book series by Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra. 

One afternoon in the early 2000s every single male on planet Earth suddenly dies. the planet is left to the females to survive and rebuild and figure out a future. Some of the best female characterization in comics, funny, dark, emotional and hopeful. A major influence on New Century. 

Vol. 9 – Matt Ramsey & James Batchelor

More video game music as Matt, James and I select five each of our very favourite tracks. 

1. Final Fantasy VII - Map Theme 2. The Legend of Zelda - 25th Anniversary Medley 3. Fez – Adventure 4. Prince of Persia - A Fight of Light and Darkness 5. Journey: The Road of Trials 6. Alan Wake - Welcome to Bright Falls 7. Skyrim - From Past To Present 8. Super Mario Galaxy - Gusty Garden Galaxy 9. Sonic the Hedgehog - Staff Credits 10. Tetris - Main Theme 11. World of Warcraft - Heart of Pandaria 12. Splinter Cell Conviction - Main Theme 13. Medal of Honor - Main Theme 14. Halo 3 - One Final Effort 15. Final Fantasy VII - Aerith's Theme

Vol. 8 – Matt Ramsey [Vice City]

Myself and Matt Ramsey will be your DJs as we transport you back to the sun-drenched streets of Miami, 1986. 

1. Wave 103: Two Tribes (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) 2. Wave 103 Love Missile F1-11 (Sigue Sigue Sputnik) 3. Wave 103: I Ran So Far Away (A Flock of Seagulls) 4. Wave 103: Heart of Glass (Blondie VCS) 5. Wave 103: Like to Get To Know You Well (Howard Jones VCS) 6. Wave 103: Don't Go (Yazoo VCS) 7. Flash FM: Gloria (Laura Brannigan VCS) 8. Flash FM: Four Little Diamonds (Electric Light Orchestra) 9. Flash FM: Dance Hall Days (Wang Chung) 10. Flash FM: Love is a Battlefield (Pat Benatar - VCS) 11. Flash FM: Self Control (Laura Brannigan) 12. Flash FM: Together in Electric Dreams (Moroder/Oakey VCS) 13. Fever 105 Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (Indeep) 14. Wildstyle: Rockit (Herbie Hancock) 15. Espantoso: Latin Flute (Eumir Deodato) 16. Flashback: Push it to the Limit (Paul Engeman) 17. Flashback: She’s on Fire (Amy Holland) 18. V-Rock: I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister) 19. V-Rock She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult) 20. V-Rock: Working for the Weekend (Loverboy) 21. Emotion 98.3: Crockett's Theme (Jan Hammer) 22. Emotion 98.3: Africa (Toto) 23. Emotion 98.3: Roxy Music – Avalon 24. Bonus Easter Egg from Grand Theft Auto III

Grab hold of a copy of the Killing Joke in book form. We’re going to take you through page by page, panel by panel and discuss what it took to turn this into an audio drama and then a motion comic. Joining me I have Matt Ramsey of the Do Try This at Home podcast; AKA Commissioner Jim Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth. Matt’s partner in crime Sharon Shaw who played Jeannie and Street Girl. And for the first time on Gonzo, newcomer Laureta Sela who played Barbara Gordon.

We'll be talking about the complex character of The Joker as depicted here, voices, casting, music, sound FX, and the process of directing remotely.

Spoilers for Batman: Breakdown throughout so listen to that (rather good) show first if you haven't already. 

This is an audio drama adaptation of The Killing Joke: written by Alan Moore, and originally illustrated by Brian Bolland for DC comics in 1988.

This show is dedicated to Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, two of my all-time heroes. Their inspirational work is a key reason why I love Batman so much, and their immense talent as voice-over artists is what made me want to produce performance pieces like this. All credit to Alan Moore for his excellent writing. The few minor changes I made were to facilitate the audio format. Also artist Brian Bolland.

If you enjoyed this, do please check out Batman: Breakdown, which is an original story written by myself and rendered into an accompanying audio drama. You can find it on this podcast feed or on YouTube. As a bonus for newcomers I've included the first six minutes of Breakdown to act as a taster at the close of this production.

If you like my work on this you should check out my original audio drama, The New Century Multiverse, the previous stories are available in audiobook form on Bandcamp with new episodes released as a weekly podcast. 

A huge thank you to my cast, without whom, this would be a considerably less vibrant production.

Cast (in order of appearance) 

JOKER/JACK – Alex Shaw KILLER CROC/TWO-FACE – Alex Shaw BATMAN – Alex Shaw FRIGHTENED INMATE #2 – Matt Whetter JIM GORDON – Matt Ramsey GUARD BILL – Jerome McIntosh BOB BONUS – Daniel Floyd JEANNIE – Sharon Shaw BATCOMPUTER – Tara Nelson ALFRED PENNYWORTH – Matt Ramsey BARBARA GORDON – Laureta Sela GANGSTER JOE – Lorin Grieve GANGSTER JAKE – Alex Spencer DOCTOR – Joshua Garrity HARVEY BULLOCK – Daniel Floyd CIRCUS FREAKS – Matt Whetter DETECTIVE MOORE – James Batchelor OFICER BOLLAND – Nama Chibitty DON SENIOR – Matt Whetter ROB SENIOR – Andres Rodriguez GAMBOL – Aquila Edwards OSWALD COBBLEPOT – Matt Whetter STREET GIRL – Sharon Shaw SECURITY GUARD JUDD – James Batchelor SECURITY GUARD MURPHEY – Nama Chibitty CREDITS - Giles Thomas

This episode we present you with Batman's full comic book career as a chronological reading list. We begin with Frank Miller's seminal Year One and work all the way up to the current run on New 52. This has been angled to allow newcomers to get an understanding of Batman on the printed page and give you a little after-school reading to do.

Joining me once again are David Hartrick and Matt Ramsey. This show has an ending I didn't expect and couldn't have planned for. 

Batman’s History Through Graphic Novels.

1. Year One (Frank Miller 1987) 2. The Man Who Laughs (Ed Brubaker 2005)  3. The Long Halloween (Jeph Loeb 1996)  4. Dark Victory (Jeph Loeb 1999)  5. The Killing Joke (Alan Moore 1988)  6. The Cult (Jim Starlin 1988) 7. A Death in the Family (Jim Starlin 1988)  8. A Lonely Place of Dying (Marv Wolfman 1989)  9. Arkham Asylum (Grant Morrison 1989) 10. Knightfall (Chuck Dixon / Dennis O’Neil 1993)  11. No Man’s Land (Greg Rucka / Chuck Dixon 1999) 12. Mad Love (Paul Dini / Bruce Timm 1994) 13. Hush (Jeph Loeb  2002)  14. Gotham Central (Greg Rucka / Ed Brubaker 2003) 15. Under the Hood (Judd Winick 2005)  16. Batman and Son (Grant Morrison 2006) 17. Batman R.I.P (Grant Morrison 2008) 18. Battle for the Cowl (Tony Daniel 2009) 19. The Black Mirror (Scott Snyder 2011) 20. A Court of Owls/Night of the Owls (Scott Snyder 2011) 21. The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller 1986)

Justice League Graphic Novels

1. Kingdom Come (Mark Waid 1996) 2. Superman / Batman: Public Enemies (Jeph Loeb 2003) 3. Identity Crisis (Brad Meltzer 2004) Elseworlds and other Books

1. Flashpoint (Geoff Johns 2011) 2. Gotham by Gaslight (Bryan Augustyn 1989) 3. Legends of the Dark Knight: Faces (1993 James D. Hudnall) 4. Legends of the Dark Knight: Blades (1994 James Robinson) 5. Legends of the Dark Knight: Images (1995 Dennis O’Neil) 6. Earth to Earth Swamp Thing Vol. 5 (Alan Moore 2002)

This was live footage recorded at the second of four annual get-togethers we held for our community, including the quiz and the charity auction. We may someday do a fifth. 

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits and Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse make their first appearance on the BioShock shows here. In actual fact we actually recorded a session a week ago, but the file corrupted and not being slaves to calamity we geared up for another go.

A late addition to the cast is long-time gaming journalist Matt Lees of Videogamer.com. He was brought in to mitigate the gushing praise that dominated the first, doomed recording. The end result is a more balanced show. 

The show starts with audio adaptations of YouTube videos on BioShock Infinite from myself and Matt. If you've already seen them you can jump to the relevant time-stamp.

04.00: BioShock Infinite Explained [Gonzo Planet Style] 21.00: Everything BioShock Infinite Gets Wrong 37.00: Main Show

For Part 2 If I was going to suggest people who had problems with the game listen to the first part, I'd say by the same token that those who loved it will get more out of this second installment. Of course if you're up to having your feelings on this delicate matter royally challenged you should listen to both. 

Once again I'm joined by Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse and Matt Lees of Videogamer. 

This show starts with a trio of audio articles on BioShock Infinite. My deeper thoughts are scattered about the podcast in a hopefully cogent fashion. Among other things we talk music, sensory memory, free will, constants and variables, plot holes, religion, and the ramifications of this title on the greater games industry. 

02.04.00 Meeting Elizabeth [By Daniel Floyd] 02.15.00 Infinite Criticisms [By David Merrett] 02.21.00 Is a Better Home Awaiting? [By James Batchelor] 02.33.00 Main Show

This time we focus on the DLC for BioShock 2, a five hour standalone narrative centering around Rapture's early computer system.

The fictional technology of BioShock is woven in with real world events and people, chiefly Alan Turing and in this show we get to discuss how this is presented and what makes this a powerful, effective, personal little narrative.

I would imagine everybody has played this by now, but if not it's well worth the 800 point asking price. This show is full to the brim with spoilers over the first three games so make sure you know everything you need to going in. 

My guests are once again Sharon Shaw of Do try This at Home, Mark Ord of Gaming ORDtopsy and we're joined by Chris Eason of GameBurst. You will also hear a snippet of Gary Blower from the GameBurst replay covering this game and more from Tony Atkins of Cane and Rinse on the multiplayer mode and Protector Trials.

We do of course steer clear of Columbia for one more week, but next time we're all about BioShock Infinite, and I will as always endeavour to put out the most entertaining, deep and complex podcast covering this game. 

For time and pacing reasons I have separated out the BioShock 2 coverage. In the next show we talk Minerva's Den as well as the Protector Trials and Multiplayer mode, known to fans as Fall of Rapture.  

In this show we discuss the main story, to which I have re-applied the working title of Sea of Dreams. Just so we all know which one we're talking about and because frankly just shoving a '2' on the end does a disservice to the game, which in several very important ways is actually better than the original. Cease your protestations and allow us to convince you over the course of this rather emotional tale, which balances the political rhetoric of the first game with a personal, poignant story of love and loss, sacrifice and inspiration. Or on the other hand, depending on how you play it, something else entirely.

This also gives us a chance to talk about it's the combat throughout the game series, something honed to perfection here. We do talk about the action in Infinite but steer clear of anything remotely resembling a spoiler to that game. Storytelling through gameplay, collectivism, parental responsibility and pressure to exceed your predecessors are all discussed.

My guests are Sharon Shaw of Do Try This At Home, Mark Ord of Gonzo Planet and for the first time as a reviewing guest on Digital Gonzo, former Digital Cowboy and current co-host of Cane and Rinse, Mr Tony Atkins. 

Strangely enough this was not a podcast series I had planned for. Right in the middle of the third act of the Mass Effect shows BioShock Infinite gets released and grabs me by the soul. I went back and started playing the 2007 original, then BioShock 2 and Minerva's Den. Mark Ord has done a fantastic video investigation on the first game for Gonzo Planet and an edited audio version of that piece forms the first act of this show. 

If you've not seen it, I recommend that you do. Alternatively if you have seen it and would like a refresher or would rather listen to it in audio form then enjoy the experience of his lovely, calm, Scottish voice talking us through the game. If you've seen it already or want to skip forward the main discussion starts at the 56 minute mark. 

I brought back Mark because he knows his Rapture. In fact we recorded and lost an entire two hour session last Monday. That almost never happens and can really take the wind out of your sails so the second attempt had to be even better than the first. I recruited James Batchelor and Gary Blower of GameBurst and we managed a fascinating 98 minute round-table discussion on the deeper aspects.

I pulled out all the stops with the edit to ensure you got the absolute best I could deliver. I have not left this kitchen table since 8am and it is now 8pm. 

But the end result might just be the best episode of Digital Gonzo I've ever put out.

Enjoy, and I will be back shortly with three more podcasts on the incredible world of BioShock.

Vol. 7 – Daniel Floyd [Video Games]

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits picks his favourite video game music along with me. 

LittlebigPlanet: Get It Together (The Go Team) 007 Blood Stone: Athens Harbour Chase (Richard Jaques) The Unfinished Swan: Main Theme (Joel Corelitz) Deus Ex - Human Revolution: Main Menu (Michael McCann) Beyond Good & Evil: Home Sweet Home (Christopher Heral) Child of Eden: Star Line [Stratos Remix] (Genki Rockets) De Blob: Defiant (Splashback) Plants VS. Zombies: Mini Games (Laura Shigihara) Disgaea 2: Spread Your Wings (Tenpei Sato) Banja Kazooie Nuts and Bolts: Grunty’s Challenge Nier: Song of the Ancients (Devola) Far Cry 2: Main Theme Borderlands 2: Hyperion World of Warcraft: The Burning Legion (Russell Brower) Valkyria Chronicles: Main Theme Bastion: Build that Wall [Zia’s Theme] (Darren Korb) Xenosaga II: In the Beginning Heavenly Sword: Main Title (Nittin Sawhney) Rez: Fear [Is the Mind Killer] (Adam Freeland) Silent Hill - HomeComing: One More Soul to the Call (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) Transbot

This episode focuses on the 2013 reboot of the long-established Lara Croft franchise. My guests and I go into great detail as to the strengths of this game, it’s alarmingly serious tone, it’s abandonment of the franchise staples of the Mary-Sueperwoman and enforced fiendish puzzling, the new narrative thrust, the frantic combat, the potential for exploration and most of all the completely transformed central character herself. We also outline clearly why it’s neither an Uncharted clone nor torture porn, how it’s already raising the bar on third-person action and how tricky it’s going to be to write a sequel that does this initial outing justice. 

With me on this nightmarish trip to the island are Sharon Shaw, Matt Ramsey, David Merrett, Paul Gibson and Jerome McIntosh. All key figures in the Gonzo Planet community. 

Vol. 6 – Joshua Garrity

Josh and I go through a bunch of movies that (certainly at the time) weren't likely to get a full show.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) Main Titles - Joe Hisaishi 3.47 Ali (2001) See the Sun - Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke 3.28 Old Boy (2003) The Last Waltz - Choi Min-sik 3.23 The Rock (1996) Hummel Gets the Rockets - Hans Zimmer 6.27 Summer Wars (2009) Oz, The Virtual City - Akihiko Masumoto 2.53 Black Beauty (1994) Main Titles - Danny Elfman 2.29 Fight Club (1999) Marla - Dust Brothers 4.22 The Sixth Sense (1999) Run to the Church/Tape of Vincent - James Newton Howard 4.51 Lost in Translation (2003) Alone in Kyoto - Air 4.48 A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) The Letter that Never Came - Thomas Newman 4.13 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Sanctuary - Alan Menken 6.02 How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Test Drive - John Powell 2.37

In the 80’s while all the boys were watching Transformers and obligingly buying the toys Hasbro were also targeting girls with a similarly multimedia manipulative marketing campaign to sell them pretty, plastic ponies.

Twenty five years and three terrible Michael Bay movies later and the boys, now grown up are feeling pretty dismal about the once awesome mythos they loved. However after many years of quiet My Little Pony resurfaced in 2010 and to the surprise of everyone turned out to be not bad at all. Really rather great in fact. Well written with lovable characters and amusing dialogue.

In an unusual turn of events it picked up a following of male viewers. Dubbed ‘Bronies’ these men, young and old have a tough battle trying to make their case for why they aren’t twisted child molesters. This podcast is about the show, the fans and why it’s become beloved. My remit is to examine it with varying levels of perspective and delve in rather than making fun of it as outsiders or being overly defensive fanboys.

My two specialists are Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits and Connor Milford, Zephyr Lite in the Gonzo community. It’s very much a podcast aimed at people who know nothing about Friendship is Magic so if you’re curious, this is the Pony investigation for you.

This episode is all about the three-season western TV series from HBO. In case you've not had the pleasure it's a foul and filthy depiction of life in a mining camp in South Dakota 1876-1877. Absolutely every character is carefully crafted in shades of dark grey. There is grim violence, interactions of a carnal nature and such language as you've never heard. The dialogue is lyrical and Shakespearean and everything revolves around power, control and gold. 

Far from ending up depressing as it might sound, the few pinpricks of light, moments of innocence and surprisingly frequent levity lend the show a hopeful air and you will swiftly find yourself warming to many characters who at first may seem repellent to your delicate tastes.

Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Jeffrey Jones, Powers Boothe, Brian Cox, and dozens of other immensely talented actors lend their skills to the roles and by the time you hit the end of season three you will wish there were more episodes. We're focusing on characters and events from season one so if you really don't want to know anything then watch that first. Bear in mind that this is partly based on true events that are a matter of historic record.  My ultimate assertion is actually that the key to Deadwood is performances and we can't really spoil those.

Joining me to discuss the machinations of skulduggerous frontier folk are Gary Blower of GameBurst, Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse and Sharon Shaw of DorkCast.

Next week... My Little Pony: Friendship is magic. 

I'm not even close to kidding, and there ain't many podcasts out there ready to tackle these two back to back.

This episode is all about the NBC comedy Community. I was introduced to this series a few months ago on the forum by Daniel Floyd who guests on this podcast. After a slow start something clicked and it rocketed to the tippety top of my most cherished TV comedy experiences, ranking alongside the US Office and Arrested Development. I am therefore proud to present this exceptionally thorough overview show to newcomers and fans alike.

The plot runs thus: slick, handsome, insincere lawyer Jeff Winger is disbarred for having a phony degree and must attend community college to get a real one. On his first day he organises a study group to get close to a girl. Despite having nothing in common with one another and clashing pretty much constantly the seven assembled students end up as unlikely friends.

That may be what happens, but it doesn't adequately describe the smart, funny, inventive and touching highlights of watching this show. The mad genius and the endless quotability of the whole caboodle. So you can listen to the podcast itself for all of that. We steer clear of major spoilers pertaining to relationships and moments that are best discovered for yourself but there are two distinct sections.

1. Character study 2. Key episodes.

These are presented in order so if you have only seen Season 1 you can leave off after 'Modern Warfare', which is incidentally the one episode we believe every living person on this planet should watch. By the end of seeing that one you will know if you love this. 

The first three seasons are available on DVD in the USA, the first two in the UK and the reputedly final season 4 has just begun showing on TV. The other two guests on this podcast are Sharon Shaw of DorkCast and Jerome McIntosh of the Gonzo Planet community. 

Back when I was recording the Digital Cowboys podcast with Tony Atkins we used to ask our guests what the state of the games industry would be like in five years time (along with a bunch of other questions). This one is the most interesting in hindsight as it shows where we thought we might be going from 2007-2011. 

A show we did as soon as George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney. It's obviously as dated as hell now, but fun to look back on how we felt at that early stage.

We also watch and give some highlighted commentary on the Star Wars Holiday Special. 

Vol. 5 – James Batchelor [Star Wars]

VI: Fox Fanfare & Main Titles/Blockade Runner IV: Imperial Attack IV: The Dune Sea/The Jawa Sandcrawler IV: Cantina Band IV: Princess Leia's Theme IV: TIE Fighter Attack V: The Battle of Hoth - Part 1 V: The Asteroid Field V: Yoda's Theme V: The Clash of Lightsabers VI: Approaching the Death Star VI: The Pit of Carkoon/Sail Barge Assault VI: Luke and Leia VI: Emperor's Throne Room VI: Leia's News/Light of the Force IV: Throne Room and End Credits

This episode has been painstakingly remastered to sound better than when we initially released it in 2013.

Vol. 4 - Chris Eason & Sharon Shaw [LOTR] One Ring to Rule them All/The Shire/The Road Goes Ever On Strider/Beren and Luthien The Great Eye/The Fellowship Gilraen’s Memorial/The Ring Goes South Moria/The Bridge of Khazad Dum The Departure of Boromir Theoden King/The Funeral of Theodred Sons of the Steward The Host of the Eldar Haldir’s Lament/Retreat Theoden Rides Forth/The White Rider/Nature’s Reclamation Eowyn’s Dream The Battle of the Pelennor Fields A Far Green Country The Last Debate Mount Doom/The Crack of Doom/The Eagles Use Well the Days Bilbo’s Song

This very special episode of The Sound of Gonzo has been painstakingly remastered to sound better than when we initially released it in 2012. 

A lengthy discussion about Tolkein's books as a precursor to our movie discussions. 

In 2001 Peter Jackson, along with Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger, everybody at Weta Workshop and an astonishingly dedicated and talented cast and crew brought us the first of three (later to be six) movies covering the events in Middle Earth as told in the books of J.R.R Tolkien. These films had a profound effect on my life. They inspired me, transported me and made me sad that I couldn't be part of that production team. Everything I have done since then has been part of an ongoing effort to create something even one iota as special. Now the second trilogy is mere weeks away from starting and it's time to celebrate with some truly epic podcasts.

So we come to it at last, the Gonzo journey into these incredibly significant collaborative projects, masquerading as mere movies. In this episode we look at how this story has been told through other media. This is a specialised show and might be a bit heavy-going for some. So I've time-coded the different sections in case anyone wants to skip to the bit they want to hear covered.

00.00: Introduction/Timeline/Tolkien 00.13: Differences between Tolkien's books and the films. 01.26: The 1977 Hobbit Movie 01.44: The 1978 Lord of the Rings Movie 02.07: The 1980 Return of the King Movie 02.18: The 1981 Radio Play 02.38: The Video Games

It's an extremely long and detailed podcast and rabid fans of the book who were disappointed with the Peter Jackson films should probably steer clear. We don't pull our punches and there are some frankly hilarious moments. You will also definitely find out new and interesting things and hear music both cringe-worthy and powerful. Joining me for the long haul are Chris Eason of GameBurst and Sharon Shaw of DorkCast. 

This is the second of three shows discussing Firefly and Serenity.  

This episode we look at the troubled production run and the myriad decisions made that hamstrung this potentially glorious series and ensured nobody saw it, that those that did were somewhat confused and that only a few would even notice its cancellation. Those few have grown in number in the years since with more Browncoats riding in every passing month, discovering the world and the mindset of those who love it. 

My crew of Big Damned Heroes return. Leah Haydu and Sharon Shaw of DorkCast, Matt Ramsey of DorkCast and Dorktunes, Gary Blower of GameBurst and Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse join me on the good ship Digital Gonzo. 

We cover the concluding seven episodes...

* Out of Gas * Arial * War Stories * Trash * The Message * Heart of Gold * Objects in Space

Next week, we dive into Serenity, the film that shouldn't, by all rights have even been made, yet exists as a closer for now on our beloved Verse.

After many months of teasing Gonzo finally covers one of the most beloved Sci Fi shows of all time. If you're one of the people that saw this when it was originally aired then please let the other six know because they will probably adore this episode. 

Cut off some way before its prime, this exists as a cautionary tale never to trust a Fox but also as a wistful glimpse of what might have been one of the (empirically speaking) best TV shows of all time. Fourteen episodes, broadcast completely out of order with the beginning at the end and three left unaired, followed up by a cinematic outing that made one bag of popcorn less than its budget, Firefly is the perennial underdog. Perhaps this is why Browncoats, the die hard fans have one thing in common; the passionate, romantic inability to look facts in the face and accept defeat.

On the show; six Browncoats. Leah Haydu and Sharon Shaw of DorkCast, Matt Ramsey of DorkCast and Dorktunes, Gary Blower of GameBurst and Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse. I of course stride around barking out orders in my tight pants, all gussied up with airs and graces as captain of this particular boat. 

On this episode we focus on the nine characters of the crew of Serenity and cover the following seven episodes...

* The Pilot  * The Train Job * Bushwacked * Shindig * Safe * Our Mrs Reynolds  * Jaynestown

Next week, the concluding seven along with a focus on the troubled production and the legacy that this has left for those who will never quit believing that you can't stop the signal. 

Vol. 3 – Gary Blower & James Batchelor [Bond]

James Bond Theme - John Barry Capsule in Space - John Barry (5:YOLT) [Gary] You Only Live Twice: David Arnold feat Bjork (5:YOLT) [Gary] OHMSS - David Arnold & The Propellerheads (6:OHMSS) [Gary] The Man with the Golden Gun - John Barry feat. Lulu (9:MWGG) [Gary] Bond 77 (10:TSWLM) [James] A View to a Kill (14:VTAK) [Alex] License to Kill (16:LTK) [Alex] GoldenEye Overture -Eric Serra (17:GE) [James] The Juvenile - Ace of Base (17:GE) [Alex] Backseat Driver (18:TND) [James] Time to get out (22:QOS) [Alex] No Good About Goodbye (22:QOS) [James] Skyfall (23:SF)

Vol. 2 – Sharon Shaw

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001) Main Theme - Tan Dun/Yo-Yo Ma 3.24 Blade Runner (1982) Prologue and Main Titles - Vangelis 3.55 The Piano (1993) The Heart Asks Pleasure First - Michael Nyman 3.11 Willow (1988) Willow’s Theme - James Horner 3.57 Interview with the Vampire (1994) Libera Me - Elliot Goldenthal 2.48 Meet Joe Black (1998) Whisper of a Thrill - Thomas Newman 5.43 Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) L’Arena - Ennio Morricone 4.46 Out of Sight (1998) Tub Scene - David Holmes 5.04 Sunshine (2007) Capa’s Last Transmission Home - Underworld 2.12 Akira (1988) Kaneda’s Theme - Shoji Yamashiro 3.41 L.A. Story (1991) Exile - Enya 4.22 Black Hawk Down (2001) Leave No Man Behind - Hans Zimmer 6.20

Vol. 1 – James Batchelor

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001) Main Theme - Tan Dun/Yo-Yo Ma 3.24 Blade Runner (1982) Prologue and Main Titles - Vangelis 3.55 The Piano (1993) The Heart Asks Pleasure First - Michael Nyman 3.11 Willow (1988) Willow’s Theme - James Horner 3.57 Interview with the Vampire (1994) Libera Me - Elliot Goldenthal 2.48 Meet Joe Black (1998) Whisper of a Thrill - Thomas Newman 5.43 Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) L’Arena - Ennio Morricone 4.46 Out of Sight (1998) Tub Scene - David Holmes 5.04 Sunshine (2007) Capa’s Last Transmission Home - Underworld 2.12 Akira (1988) Kaneda’s Theme - Shoji Yamashiro 3.41 L.A. Story (1991) Exile - Enya 4.22 Black Hawk Down (2001) Leave No Man Behind - Hans Zimmer 6.20

This turned out to be one of my top ten video games of all time. An amazing example of stealth mechanics applied with perfect communication from developers to player. 

We got together to discuss which games were not necessarily best by any means, but most important for the period between 2005 and 2012 that makes up the so-called seventh generation. The list ended up quite contentious. 

This covers the third season of this amazing animated series.

Once again this episode has spoilers including how the whole thing ends so we don’t recommend you listen until you’ve seen Book 3: Fire and finished The Legend of Aang.

Joining me once again to talk about Firebending, ethics and the pressure heaped upon children, I have Daniel Floyd, Pixar animator and the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, and from Gonzo Planet, Sharon Shaw, Jerome McIntosh and Duane Griffiths.

Next week, The Legend of Korra - Book 1: Air

We cover the second season of this amazing animated series.

Once again this episode has spoilers so we don’t recommend you listen until you’ve seen Book 2: Earth.

Joining me once again to talk about Earthbending, a heightened sense of emotional engagement and the most wonderful blind character in all of creation, I have Daniel Floyd, Pixar animator and the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, and from Gonzo Planet, Sharon Shaw, Jerome McIntosh and Duane Griffiths.

We cover the first season of this amazing animated series.

If you haven’t heard it yet (and that’s unlikely as it’s been the most popular Gonzo episode of all time) then go check out our spoiler-free introduction to the show and movie review first. This episode here has spoilers so we don’t recommend you listen until you’ve seen Book 1: Water.

Joining me once again to talk about Waterbending, Frozen Frogs and Koh the Face Stealer I have Daniel Floyd, Pixar animator and the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, and from Gonzo Planet, Sharon Shaw, Jerome McIntosh and Duane Griffiths.

This was live footage recorded at the first of four annual get-togethers we held for our community. We may someday do a fifth. 

This is a two part epic investigation into the making of Batman: Breakdown.  There's so much detail, so many hidden references and so much forethought behind the writing and production that this ended up needing two shows to contain it.

I am joined by Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits who played Robin, Neil Taylor of KDS 2.0 who played Nightwing and Sharon Shaw of Gonzo Planet who played Doctor Jennifer Whitman. There is also an extensive discussion between myself and story editor David Hartrick of the wildly popular football website In Bed with Maradona.

Between us we deconstruct the many complex, continuity-accurate and psychologically sound aspects of this dramatic, emotional, disturbing story of The Dark Knight. I've spent a long time layering in audio to give context to the dialogue and make this an entertaining, enlightening document of what might be the best single piece of work I've ever put out there.

Also outtakes. Those are great too.

In the second half we deconstruct the story elements and discuss how said elements were constructed to make this feel like a real part of the Batman story.

Discussed here are the later scenes and the climax. At the very end there is a special treat in the shape of EPIC OUTTAKES. As well as this the tantalizing prospect of further installments to this new continuity.

Once again a huge thank you to everyone involved in making this,  Sassy, Tara, Matt Ramsey and Matt Whetter, James and Leah, David Hartrick on Story and my guests Sharon, Neil and Dan.

This is my first full-length audio drama. It was designed to be enjoyed by comic fans but also to people who are only familiar with the Nolan films the Arkham video games or the Animated Series. I wanted to write something significant, honest and authentic about the Batman legend and with a lot of help from long-time serious Bat-fan, David Hartrick, I was able to shape a series of ideas into a hopefully coherent story. None of the cast, including myself are professional actors, but we all worked very hard to capture the essence of the characters we portrayed. The writing, organisation and editing all of this together took dozens of hours, but it's been equal parts exhausting and rewarding. I'd of course ideally love to see this adapted into a comic mini-series or animated movie someday (hint, hint, DC). Oh and for Batman enthusiasts, take note, this is an Elseworlds tale that takes place after the 2005 storyline Under the Hood, but before the 2006 storyline Infinite Crisis.

Script: Alex Shaw / Story: Alex Shaw & David Hartrick / Editing: Alex Shaw

Cast

Bruce Wayne/Batman: Alex Shaw Barbara Gordon/Oracle: Leah Haydu Dick Grayson/Nightwing: Neil Taylor Tim Drake/Robin: Daniel Floyd Clark Kent/Superman: James Batchelor Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Tara Nelson Selina Kyle/Catwoman: Cassandra Corgard Alfred Pennyworth: Matthew Ramsey Doctor Jennifer Whitman: Sharon Shaw Cops: Matt Whetter/Sharon Shaw/Alex Shaw Thieves: Neil Taylor/Matt Whetter/Alex Shaw Bank Clerk: Cassandra Corgard Estelle: Tara Nelson

David Hartrick writes for In Bed With Maradona, the award-winning home of World Football: http://inbedwithmaradona.com/

If you like this production and you believe, like we do, that as many people as possible should hear this then please suggest it to everyone you know who likes a good Batman story. Tweet about it, make a big deal on FaceBook, post YouTube comments, leave an iTunes review, get this thing heard. I've been supremely hard at work on my original audio drama series New Century for the past few years. If you like this production you'll love hearing where I go with what I learned. However I think I'm done with Batman audio drama for the time being. It's very unlikely I'll do Hush and Breakdown is almost impossible to follow up on in a satisfying way. Believe me, David and I have gone over potential plots and it really feels better to leave the future of Gotham ambiguous. I'm not saying never, but for now let's just say this and the Killing Joke were my two forays into the Dark Knight mythology. 

Two of the finest games focused on a comic book hero, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are the subject of this week’s show. This is 50+ hours of content to cram into 123 minutes but my team of assembled guests are once again entirely dedicated to their art.

They’re enormous and filled with secrets and we endeavour to uncover and explore some of the more intriguing aspects. We look at these cocktails of Batman history, character representation and citing the responses of FilmCritHulk the knotty situation of gender issues inherent in a small but significant percentage of one of these titles.

In the Batcave; Neil Taylor of GameBurst, KDS 2.0 and Desert Island Gonzo and Jerome McIntosh and Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet.

This week rather than looking at another Batman movie, I've turned my attention to my favourite of his many graphic novels.

Hush was written in 2002 by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee and is a mystery thriller featuring a massive cast of heroes and villains, manipulated from the shadows by a brilliant and malevolent masked figure named Hush, who seems to know far too much about Batman.

The art is wonderful, the writing compelling. This is a story filled with moments that will make you cheer and gasp. An absolute 100% recommendation from myself and my team today; Paul Gibson and Jerome McIntosh of Gonzo Planet. We endeavour to talk you through the key details of the story without spoiling the overall mystery, assisted by an excellent article by a new contributor David Hartrick.

This Sunday we look at three quality animated outings; Year One, Under the Red Hood and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Next week, in-depth video game reviews of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.

The second and final wave of audio articles laid down on Gonzo Planet for that short span of time when it was a magazine site. 

This is a collection of the first wave of audio articles published on Gonzo Planet, my short-lived project to bring together various people I knew to provide daily written and audio content. 

This is one of a pair of what are likely to be the only shows we will ever do on Game of Thrones. They were recorded back after the first season when we loved it.

Now we don't. 

The second part has spoilers, but I think pretty much everyone in the world, including kindergartners have seen this now. 

We go wayyy back to early 2012 when UK retailer GAME were severely in trouble. They somehow managed to save themselves for several years by making many shrewd and often cruel decisions. This episode is a look at how they got where they did. 

Guests: Gary Blower and James Batchelor of GameBurst.

Listen back to how very hand-holdy it was, as well as some of the brilliant things it achieved with Wii Motion plus. 

You will hear from six guests on the highs and lows of one of the last significant games on Nintendo's most popular console to date.

* Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits * Leah Haydu of GamerDork * James Batchelor of GameBurst * Gary Blower of GameBurst and Big Red Potion * Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse * Darren Gargette of Cane and Rinse

All of whom have produced work for Gonzo Planet in the past. Their interviews are set against a backdrop of music both from Skyward Sword and the Zelda 25th Anniversary symphony. There are sections on what made them happy about the game, what made them unhappy and what they would like to see in future Zelda games. There is also a spoiler section at the end covering plot points from the Temple of Time onwards. It's safe to listen to all but the last 20 minutes or so of the show, even if you've not yet played Skyward Sword, but save the ending for when you've finished or if you don't mind spoilers. 

A show wherein my guests and I scrape the very bottom of the barrel and locate our five most hated movies each.

A show all about the first two games in the Crysis series. 

The retro quiz show is back and this one is all about toys. 

This was the return of Digital Gonzo after many months hiatus in mid-2011. It was a discussion show all about video games that aren't great but have some good stuff to be found within. 

The retro-quiz madness continues with a close look at the TV commercials that aired in Britain throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. Blue Captain Michael Fox of Joypod returns, as does Red Captain Neil Taylor of GameBurst and the KDS show. Duncan O’ Sullivan of the DC community comes back for the first time since our cartoon show and we finally get on for his first full Gonzo show one Mr Tony Atkins of Digital Cowboys. 

If you remember Britain in the 80’s and 90’s then you will absolutely adore this twisted, bouncing, wild ride down memory lane.

Our quiz show based loosely on the BBC TV series returns, this time it's all about 80s music. 

In this show I'm joined by Neil Taylor and James Batchelor of GameBurst along with regular Gonzo guest Matt Ramsey.

Part of the inspiration for this show came from reading Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary: A Greatly Expanded and Much Improved Compendium of Movie Cliches, Stereotypes, Obligatory Scenes, Hackneyed, Shopworn Conventions and Outdated Archetypes (available from all good book shops or indeed on Amazon)

It is a compilation of multiple submissions from Ebert's own fanbase edited into an alphabetical compendium. For the show today I formed the best of these into four sections; Horror/Action/Rom-Com and Old Hollywood. My guest's job is to listen to the first part of the cliche's I read them and fill in the rest themselves, citing examples and rare exceptions. It's pretty goddamn hilarious. 

The first instalment of our pop quiz show episodes based on the winning format of long-running and superb British music quiz; Never mind the Buzzcocks.. This one was centred around 80s cartoons, others include commercials, music, toys and a special episode on the 90s.

If you used to watch Transformers, Thundercats and the Ninja Turtles (or if you still do) you will love this episode. If, however you remember the obscure ones like Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors and Captain N: The Game Master then this will evoke so many memories you may go completely 2D! If you're too young to have been there first time, be prepared for confusion, and learning a thing or two about the old timers.

This was one of the most fun podcasts I've ever had the pleasure to record. I was joined by Michael Fox of Joypod, Neil Taylor of GameBurst and DC forumites Matt Ramsey and Duncan O Sullivan. We laughed so hard it hurt. Stick around for the end for a buffet of Easter Eggs at the end.

Our aim is to have you intermittently laughing, groaning in recognition, going all misty-eyed and shouting at your iPod, so if that happens; job done. 

The book, not the rubbish movie. This time we tackle 'World War Z', an oral history of the Zombie apocalypse that claimed the lives of the majority of mankind. The show was originally broadcast in early 2011.

The most important word here is "World" and this truly is a globe-spanning, culturally sensitive, intelligent and fearless piece of work. It unexpectedly drops the zombies into the background of the social upheaval and focuses on the people involved in the conflict and the various decisions from individuals and nations that lead to events both catastrophic and life-saving.

Once again, my guests are Neil Taylor of GameBurst and Matt Ramsey, then of the DC forums. Our biggest hope in all of this is that we will encourage as many of you as possible to pick up the superb book and audio book for yourselves. They are available along with the survival guide from Amazon and all other good book stores.

This is the first of two review shows based around books about the undead by Max Brooks. It was originally broadcast in early 2011.

They are written in a factual style, so we have taken an equally factual approach to discussing their contents. This is effectively a 90-minute primer of need-to-know information in case of an emergency situation (however unlikely it may seem) that involves the walking dead.

Neil Taylor and Matt Ramsey join me for some serious zombie talk. 

Now also attached to the Deathly Hallows Part 1 episode of School of Movies, this is the stand-alone history of the most famous wizarding school ever.

A list of what you could buy for the same £40 as the average new Triple-A video game in 2011. 

We kick off with a history of the Golden and Silver ages of comics and then move on to Mark Millar's vision of a new version of the Avengers for the 21st century. It's nasty and dated as hell in the wake of the MCU but back then it was all we had. 

A piece I wrote on people's need to sneer. 

My second attempt at audio drama. This was an adaptation of the first few chapters of the book that eventually became New Century. "The Bright Ones" was completed around 2003 and is pretty scrappy and juvenile, slave to my influences like The Matrix and Final Fantasy. But there were some things that eventually made their way into New Century, despite being set at a different time on different planets. This version, Blue Sun introduces new elements including a heavy MCU influence.

A piece that once got emailed to me and always made me laugh at Christmas, involving the logistics of getting Santa back and forth to every kid to deliver those toys. 

A few words on what it would have taken to put Noah's Ark together. 

This was my first attempt at an audio drama, adapting the opening chapter of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. 

Applying the rules of the movie to Dead Rising 2. 

An article about video games, war and warriors. 

An interview I conducted on the floor at PAX 2009 with Pete Hottelett, a man who brings products in fictional universes to life.

You can find Omni-Consumer Products here.

An article I originally wrote for Platform Nation after the 2008 E3 Nintendo press event.

My take on the state of movies in 2010.

A short account of my experience playing this sacred cow of a game. 

How much have we learned about the world from video games?

A look at the high percentage of video games that include killing something to achieve. 

A bit on how games can drive me stir crazy!

A piece about how they were going to stop piracy many years ago. 

A short account of my experience playing this ambitious, frustrating game. 

The final episode of Digital Cowboys

A largely improvised account of an E3 that never happened (broadcast days before the actual event, just to confuse people).

Tony, Paul and I review one of our favourite games of all time. 

24 hours solid of playing World of Warcraft for charity. 

Some questions with revealing answers.

Interview questions for the hosts.

A discussion about the video game deaths that really made an impact on us.

Guest:

Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits

This was only our second Game Club, and it was a format I really wish mwe'd explored more before parting ways. Far Cry 2 remains my second-favourite in the series, despite its mountainous flaws, outmatched by the often extraordinary Far Cry Primal. 

A look back on the hallowed year of 2005 when some of the greatest video games ever emerged.

Guest:

 Leon Cox of Cane and Rinse

Twenty of the very worst. 

Various aspects throughout gaming history that have changed the way we play. 

A look at where survival horror stood, some years ago, prior to the evolution of the jump scare Let's Play, Dark Souls, the transformation of Dead Space and Resident Evil's overhaul. 

This episode was all about accepting the classics of the past and celebrating their new successors. 

We travel to a landmark year in video games. 

A video gaming quiz in the style of the BBC classic. 

The second part of our epic countdown, as voted for by our community. 

We polled our forum and you guys decided on who your favourite 50 were. This is the first 25. 

Ten searching questions with revealing answers. 

A discussion on one of the best titles on 360, expanding to the concept of the sandbox game. 

Over the course of the year I undertook to play 50 games to completion. This is my account of that lengthy experience. 

We discuss with Michael Anderson the concept of games that take the form of a real world puzzle. 

Maybe the best of the Digital Cowboys episodes. This is all about Zelda through the years, covering every game and it comprises extracts from many, many interviews with podcasters and the DC community.

What comes across is a very special game series. There is a justified reason why Nintendo releases these games in gold boxes and treats the moment as a major event. It's difficult in fact to imagine many others being recounted with such fondness and with such importance. The frustration is also there; the bad design decisions and the repetitive formula, amid hopes for the future, all underscored by 25 years of incredible music.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed towards this show, without your submitted rich experiences, it wouldn't have been a fraction as good.

Originally published July 16th 2010.

Guests:

Dan Ilson - Everything is Better with Beer & Gonzo Planet Adam Capone - Joypod Leon Cox - Cane and Rinse & GamerDork Dits Symeou - The Gamerscene & Gonzo Planet Alex Shaw - Digital Cowboys, Digital Gonzo & Gonzo Planet Luke Carson - Digital Cowboys community Mik Phillips - The Fanboys Lunchcast & Gonzo Planet Ryan Astley - Gonzo Planet Michelle Smith - Pink & Deadly Paul Shotton - Digital Cowboys Tony Atkins - Cane and Rinse & Digital Cowboys James Batchelor - GameBurst, The WiiDS podcast & Gonzo Planet Leah Haydu - GamerDork, Some Other Castle & Gonzo Planet David Turner - Joypod Roy Fortitude - Digital Cowboys community cast Chris O'Regan - Superhappyfuntimeshow Josh Garrity - Cane & Rinse, Digital Cowboys Community cast & Gonzo Planet Edie Sellers - Gamehounds Daniel Floyd - Extra Credits

We got to chat with one of the finest musical geek comedy duos of all time.  

We talk to the amazing Sarah Quillian about the nature and practice of cosplaying. 

A video game news quiz show modeled on the BBC classic. 

We talk to one of the developers of Final Fight: Double Impact about how his team brought the classic arcade game into the modern age whilst making the most of a retro presentation. 

The second part of our guide to starting your own podcast. 

It's been many years since we put this guide together, but it may still have some useful tips. My current microphone of choice is the Blue Yeti, just to keep things up to date. 

This was a 24 hour stretch where Tony and I had to get as high a gamerscore as possible, sponsored by our community to help Medecins Sans Frontieres. 

A look at how sometimes originality isn't important to the construction of a video game as long as the rest is solid. 

Things about video games that drive us nuts. This is the place to get rid of them, and our community has come up with some great choices. 

I'll believe they have finally remade Final Fantasy VII when I finish the remake. Until that time this is a show about that very premise circa 2010.

Daniel Floyd is back, and we're talking about the nature of good and evil, as represented in video games. It is of course, far more complex than we usually get to see applied from our actions to the gameplay. 

An early prototype for the film show that would eventually become Digital Gonzo. This is what we thought of Tyler Durdan in 2010. We think differently now. 

This wasn't a numbered show, we were trialing a spin-off, that bore quite a bit of similarity to what would eventually be Digital Gonzo and Cane and Rinse.

In one of our proudest moments we got to speak with the former presenter of GamesMaster. 

The first time we ever chatted with James Batchelor, and it was all about Nintendo's insanely popular waggle console. 

We talk with James Portnow of Extra Credits about the term "Gamer" and why it developed negative connotations. Now, many years later it's only gotten worse. 

Tony and I discuss one of the best games of 2009, and still my favourite of the series. 

We chat with Burnie Burns and Geoff Ramsey of Rooster Teeth about how they put together the first six seasons of The Blood Gulch Chronicles. 

We talk with the Gamers With Jobs about how they introduced gaming to their kids. 

We talk with Tim Wilsie about the nature of keeping all-too-finite video games alive and archived for the ages.

We talk with Daniel Floyd some of the most important aspects of gaming for us. 

Not a numbered episode, but this is Alex and Edie Sellers of GameHounds talking with JoCo himself at PAX 2009. 

This was when we had the joyful privelege of attending PAX in Seattle 2009.

A series of accounts from various podcasters regarding why they do what they do. 

We brought in Some Other Castle to talk video gaming movies. 

We get various podcasters on the show and ask them about their gaming pet hates. 

Leigh Alexander talks about how women have been positioned in games in the past. 

We ask Daniel Floyd a question that has drawn ire from so many that would rather it never was. 

Not long after the Mass Effect scandal wherupon tasteful side boob was labeled Luke Skywalker meets Debbie Does Dallas we talked with Daniel Floyd about this massively important aspect of human (and indeed any mamalian) interaction, and why it only takes up a tiny percentage of activities relative to the mainstay of killing. 

Find out whether Fitty gets his bejeweled skull back from all those people that stole it from him. Plus our first impressions on the Watchmen movie. 

We discuss the fundamental differences in approach to role playing games between west and east.

As Electronic Gaming Monthly died, we were there to look at what changed in the landscape of video gaming journalism.

Paul, Tony and I collate ten of our all time favourite movies together in some semblance of order. 

Paul's scorching review of the execrable Meet the Spartans, followed by Alex talking Son of Rambow. 

Tony, Paul and I discuss what movies might be good for kids. And this was at a time when not one of us actually had a child. 

A collection of clips from the second year of our show. 

A collection of clips from the first year of our show.

A truly awful comedy that won't make you laugh. A scary as hell vampire film that will make you feel cold. And a look at socialised healthcare that may make you sick to hear about, considering how both Britain and America have progressed medically in the years since. 

Little things about video games that annoy us, here is where we get to potentially get rid of them. 

The first show we ever recorded. Introducing Tony Atkins, Paul SHotton and Alex Shaw in a brand new podcast for 2007 originally entitled "Media Frenzy".

This was my first ever podcast hosting session on March 22nd 2007. The original host, Matt Fowler started me off on that road and gave me advice which I still call upon to this day, so you have him to thank.