Digitally Uploaded

What do Mario 64 and Wingspan have in common? Both are games that we turn to when we need to give our minds a break and relax through stress, anxiety and the like. What does Metroid and Rhythm Heaven have in common? They're among the last games that Nintendo will publish on the Nintendo Switch. We chat about what will likely be the last Nintendo Direct for one of the greatest consoles of all time. And, naturally, we chat through the games of April. Plenty coming there to look forward to!

Welcome to the March edition of the Digitally Uploaded podcast! In this episode we dive deep into Xenoblade Chronicles X, now that it's finally being rescued from Wii U exclusivity. We also chat about music, with one of the music team from our very own upcoming visual novel, The Last Waltz, joining to talk about the experience. And of course we talk through all the big games releasing in March - there's more than just Xenoblade Chronicles X! Many thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next month!

It's our first episode of 2025, and we're rolling January and February together, as the team is busy with lifestyle activities like getting married. For this first episode, we run through the intimidatingly big release line-up for February, and then talk in-depth about the Switch 2 - what we saw from the big reveal teaser and what we hope to see as Nintendo ramps up to the big release. Here's to a big and exciting 2025 for video games! It certainly looks like we're set for a big year.

Join us in the final episode of the Digitally Uploaded podcast for the year as we look back at the games that were in 2024, and what we're looking forward to the most in 2025. Overall 2024 has been a really good year for releases. So much so, in fact, that so many of the really good games have already (tragically) faded into obscurity. So we dust off a couple of those to recommend you look back at before the year is out. Then we look at what's coming in 2025. Some big blockbusters, of course, but there's also a bunch of smaller stuff on the horizon that we're already excited for. Have a very happy holidays and Merry Christmas, everyone, and thank you as always for being such an awesome audience. We will see you all again in the New Year!

After ten years there's finally a new Dragon Age game. Unfortunately, it's also one of the biggest disappointments of the year. So we dig into that a bit, looking at where things went to wrong and what the game really should have been. We also look at the newly-released Nintendo Music app, and all the promise it holds. Is it just the start of bigger things to come? We think so... And of course we discuss all the big games releasing in November. There's plenty to look forward to!

It's the spooky time of year again, and of course all the developers and publishers have been rushing out their horror games. There's some good ones, too, and this month we chat a bit about what makes a good horror game in our view. We also talk about all the other games that are releasing in October - there are a lot of them! Games to suit every taste, no less! And then finally we also take some time to talk about our own visual novel project: The Last Waltz. After working on it for more than two years now, we are enormously excited with how it's coming together. Thanks as always for tuning in, and enjoy the games!

Lollipop Chainsaw is back! Lollipop Chainsaw is back! FINALLY! We're very excited about the imminent re-release of the game with the cheerleader, her mini-skirt, and all them zombies to slay. But we're also very interested to see if the discourse behind this game has changed in any way, because it was once a very controversial title indeed. Elsewhere on the podcast we also discuss the inglorious fate of Concord and the seemingly inevitable decline of live service games. The market is demonstrating that it has firmly met its saturation point and it is almost certainly a case of diminishing returns for anyone that tries to do another one now. And of course, we talk through all the games releasing for the rest of September. There's A LOT.

Who doesn't love their Switch? It is arguably the finest console of all time (though the arguments you can make in favour of it are very compelling), and this week we dig into some of our most played games of all time. Given that it's the 2024 Olympic Games, we also talk about sports, and the kinds of sports games we like to see. As it turns out, there is a point where "realism" in sports games can be to its detriment. And finally we chat about all the game releases in August. It's not the biggest month of the year, but there's some real gems in there that you won't want to miss.

Welcome to the July episode of the Digitally Uploaded podcast! This month, we kick off discussing all the big games in July, highlighting anticipated titles like Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Battle Cats Unite, and The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak. We also discuss niche titles and ports like Spin Rhythm XD, Princess Maker 2 Regeneration, and Earth Defense Force 6. From there, we explore the newly released Nintendo 64 Mature App, which currently includes the two classics Perfect Dark and Turok. Two games doesn't make much of a compilation, so we discuss some of the other games that we hope to see on there, including Turok 2, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Finally, we wrap up with a chat on the representation of female protagonists in gaming. With the upcoming The Legend of Zelda game starring Zelda herself and the recent Princess Peach Showtime, we debate the merits and challenges of diversifying character roles while maintaining their core identities. Thanks as always for tuning in, and we'll see you next month!

Welcome to the latest episode of the Digitally Uploaded Podcast! This month we talk about the sorry state of game development, in light of everything that has been going on with Microsoft shuttering studios (and then immediately looking for more acquisitions) Then we discuss the controversy surrounding Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed game set in Japan, focusing on the historical character Yasuke, the first African samurai. We chat about the importance of accurate historical representation and the backlash against the game's protagonist. And, of course, we discuss all the big game releases for June. What's on your agenda? Thanks as always for tuning in, and as always we'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these topics!

This month we delve into everything from the controversial Stella Blade to the untapped potential in Australian game stories such as Broken Roads, and everything in-between. We kick off the podcast talking about all the games we're looking forward to that are coming out in May. There are some surprising ones on the horizon that you probably weren't aware of, but should have on the radar! From there we talk about the quirky, less popular games from the 90s such as Iggy's Wrecking Balls and Ayden Chronicles, and how difficult it can be to preserve those titles for future generations. And then finally we talk about adapting books to games - Suikoden, for example, is based on Water Margin, and while you don't need to have read the book to enjoy the game, the relationship between the two is interesting, and it would be nice to see more game developers do that. Thanks as always for tuning in, and we'll see you next month!

This month on the Digitally Uploaded podcast, we dive deep into Dragon's Dogma 2, as a rare example of an open world that delivers on the promise of open world games. It's not for everyone... but wow is it a work of art. We also discuss how game developers on board us with new games and concepts... especially at a time when we're all busy and only have a few hours a week to ourselves. What can developers do to make sure we're enjoying that time to the best, rather than learning complex systems? Finally, we take a look at the games coming out in April. Thankfully it's a relatively quiet month... but there are still a few big hitters that you're not going to want to miss. Thank you as always for tuning in!

Welcome to the March episode of the Digitally Uploaded podcast – your go-to destination for everything video gaming. It's a big month. It's a Final Fantasy month! We start by chatting about the big games coming out this month, including Fitness Boxing featuring Hatsune Miku, the retro Top Racer Collection which revisits the nostalgia of 16-bit racing games, and Snufkin, Melody of Moominvalley. And that's just the indie stuff. There are some BIG games on the way. Then we chat about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's gripping narrative, versus some of the open-world stuff, which we are of two minds on. But there is no doubt that this is a very big game, and one that's going to go down well in history given that it's the third-highest rated Final Fantasy of all time. Then, finally, we chat about games that come out of nowhere and we just didn't have on our radar until they released. One was Helldivers 2, which is currently doing the rounds as the hottest game on the market. The other is the unfortunately overlooked and seemingly doomed-to-obscurity Banishers. We ponder the effectiveness of marketing strategies in the gaming industry based on how these games have managed to get the response that they have. Tune in to our deeply thinky podcast, and let us know your own thoughts!

Diving into Gaming Accessible to All In the first episode of 2024, we start by looking at all the upcoming game releases for February 2024. This year has been off to an incredible start, and the momentum continues this month. Big time. Enhancing Gaming with Accessibility From Final Fantasy to Sony games, we investigate the strides taken in gaming accessibility in this episode. We explore the convenience provided by features such as "easy story-based mode" in action-based games, the challenge in making boss battles work without relying on grinding experience, and how to optimise games based on personal comfort settings. Unearthing the Cultural Element in Gaming We then dive into the minimal representation of the Chinese Lunar New Year in games. Yes, some popular games like Overwatch do something, but many others miss out on a big opportunity to share diverse cultures. Thank you as always for tuning in, and welcome to a new year of the Digitally Uploaded podcast!

It's the final podcast of 2023! We hope that everyone has played some magnificent games this year, and is looking forward to a well-earned break (and perhaps a chance to catch up on the backlog). We've rounded out the year in style, with a big podcast, looking back at all the great and memorable things we played in 2023, the big games still to come, and then, for the retro-inclined, those classics that were difficult and challenging to audiences. As always, let us know what you think, and have a wonderful end of the year, everyone!

In among all the big games releasing in November (seriously, just check out the "games of the month" list), we found some time to muse on what to expect from the Nintendo Switch successor this month. Surely the console is reaching the end of its life, and surely Nintendo is getting closer to making the announcement of the successor... so what are we expecting from it? In this podcast we also discuss some games that we just know we'll love... and yet haven't played yet. You might be surprised by some of the stuff we've missed! That's it for this podcast. Have an awesome month filled with great games, everyone!

We've reached the tail end of the year, and the games keep on coming! As you'll see from our October release list, there's a lot to look forward to - a lot - so make sure you clear those weekends away. Then, for the rest of the podcast, we tackle two topics to deal with the big end of town. Firstly, with Jim Ryan stepping down from Sony, we discuss his legacy, how Sony changes under his management, and what might be next now the company will have a chance in leadership. Then we also chat about Baldur's Gate, which is surely the darling game of 2023. How did something so different become so successful, and what can the industry learn from it. That's a wrap for this month! Let us know your thoughts, and have an awesome October!

It's September already! We recorded this episode well in advance for scheduling reasons, and so some of the things we say in here will be out of date... but we still have a good laugh, despite not knowing what has happened over the last six weeks. So this week we kick off by looking at the big games releasing in September. Then we chat about games that "get worse" over time. Finally, we have a good laugh examining where our limits are as to what we'd play on the train. Thanks as always for tuning in, and do let us know your own thoughts about any and all of these topics!

This month's podcast is a simple one: we rank all the JRPGs! Yep, that's right, we go through all the major series, old and new, and class them according to the tiers we think they belong to. We assume some people are going to yell at us over our picks! We also list out all the big games happening in August. It's yet another month where you better get those batteries charged, because there's a lot to play. Let us know your own JRPG rankings, and we'll see you next month!

Something old and something new for discussion in this month's podcast! We kick things off as we always do with a look at all the games releasing in July. If you're a fan of Japanese games - and JRPGs in particular - steel yourself because the month is going to be intense. From there we talk about Final Fantasy XVI in-depth. What were the themes that we found most poignant about it, what has disappointed us in how the conversation around the game has gone, and what do we think (and hope) this masterpiece means for Japanese games, JRPGs, and blockbusters in general? Finally, to wrap a loaded podcast off, we chat about retro games, and ask the question "do they age? Should they be compared to the games that get released today, or if not how to we judge their ongoing value to the industry?" As always let us know your own thoughts in the comments, and thanks for tuning in to our humble little podcast!