Wavelengths with Brendon Bigley

This week I'm answering your many questions from how to make potatoes, to thoughts on Heated Rivalry, to Nintendo of America's relationship with Nintendo of Japan and so much more. Come along, will you?Also: Huge solidarity to those in the streets of Minneapolis this month. Your bravery means everything, for real.---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

I was very glad to be joined by my good friend Will LaPorte for a lengthy episode about our favorite albums and films of 2025! I hope you enjoy it, and I'll be back next week with (gasp) more stuff about video games!!Find Will Online: https://ghostdown.online/---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths!0:02:50 - Intro Will0:04:22 - Will Album 100:09:54 - Brendon Album 100:16:41 - Will Movie 100:19:26 - Brendon Movie 100:23:48 - Will Album 90:27:50 - Brendon Album 90:31:22 - Will Movie 90:34:36 - Brendon Movie 90:39:04 - Will Album 80:41:29 - Brendon Album 80:43:09 - Will Movie 80:46:17 - Brendon Movie 80:52:02 - Will Album 70:54:11 - Brendon Album 70:57:42 - Will Movie 71:01:45 - Brendon Movie 71:04:48 - Will Album 61:07:22 - Brendon Album 61:08:52 - Will Movie 61:10:35 - Brendon Movie 61:17:20 - Will Album 51:23:36 - Brendon Album 51:27:17 - Will Movie 51:34:47 - Brendon Movie 51:42:39 - Will Album 41:46:52 - Brendon Album 41:49:25 - Will Movie 41:54:21 - Brendon Movie 42:03:14 - Will Album 32:09:18 - Brendon Album 32:13:32 - Will Movie 32:16:41 - Brendon Movie 32:29:00 - Will Album 22:33:12 - Brendon Album 22:40:10 - Will Movie 22:46:45 - Brendon Movie 22:56:07 - Will Album 13:04:06 - Brendon Album 13:14:40 - Will Movie 13:20:07 - Brendon Movie 1---⏆

Turns out they made a lot of good video games last year. So many, in fact, that I felt the need to continue last year's move of celebrating 50 of them in an extremely chill manner!!Thank you all for a great first (partial) year of Wavelengths, I hope you're as stoked for 2026 as I am!Note: Wish I'd known about the Level5 CEO showing his whole tuchus before I said all those nice things about Fantasy Life i... a game that might have been made by artificial intelligence for all we know!!Also note: Count the number of times I say “pound for pound” or “it’s a fascinating thing” or “check it out!!"---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Trans rights are human rights. Additional links:People Make Games on the BDS movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybj10537yi4No Games for Genocide: https://nogamesforgenocide.com/

Today's all about 2025's Game Awards! Who won, what got announced, and why was Divinity so disgusting? As I mention in the episode: I think going into this year's show treating it like "Winter Game Fest" was a much better move for my own enjoyment — and it created a show I felt generally decent about all things considered. There's still a lot to be critical of, but I found myself digging the show for the first time in years!Additional Reading: VGC on the Winners: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-game-awards-2025-complete-list-of-winners-as-clair-obscur-wins-game-of-the-year-and-sets-a-new-record-for-awards-won/Gio's Interview with Bruce Straley: https://www.polygon.com/coven-of-the-chicken-foot-game-awards-announcement/

Hello and welcome back to the show! It's been a light few weeks news-wise so I wanted to dig into some thoughts about Sektori and my first 90 minutes of the long-anticipated Metroid Prime 4: Beyond through the lens of game analysis and crit.Before the end of the episode, we'll all be PC gamers.---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Hello! Thank you so much for being here, I am grateful for you. This week's a shorter one because my body won't let me talk for more than 15 minutes, but I wanted to shout out two GOTy-contender games I've been absolutely loving this week:The first is Sektori, — a twin-stick arcade shooter with the aesthetic of Geometry Wars by an ex-Housemarque alum.The second is Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved — a Famicom Detective Club-inspired mystery with gorgeous art, music, and stellar writing.Both have been healing me.

Welcome back to Wavelengths! This week's main topic is about the nominees for 2025's TGAs, how weird they are, and how weird my feelings about the award show have become over the years. I also talk a bit about my own GOTY prep, some games I've been playing recently, and my thoughts a week out from the reveal of the Steam Machine.Additional reading: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/nov/11/future-class-gamings-oscars-game-awards---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Valve announced three products this week: A new controller, a new VR headset, and a new gaming console. This week's episode of Wavelengths is all about the interplay between these three devices and the thing that not only literally links them all together, but makes Valve's decade-long push towards making the PC gaming experience more approachable even work in the first place. ---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Hello and welcome back to Wavelengths! This week my guest is Stephen Hilger — my co-host on Into the Aether, a great artist and writer, and creator of the YouTube channel Memory Card Manuscript. I brought Stephen on to discuss a question sent in by a listener about the current hyper-polarization of video game discourse, from how to navigate algorithm-led spaces to not letting the media consume define your authentic being.It's a far-reaching conversation, and I hope it's as interesting, thought provoking, and engaging for you as it was for me. Find Stephen on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.socialAnd YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@memorycardmanuscript---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Welcome back to the show, folks. I recorded this one early as I'll be traveling to see family for most of the week, so apologies for not including any Animal Crossing news here! The short version: I'm excited about it! What I did talk about was suddenly being inundated with three handhelds at once: The Miyoo Mini Flip, the MCON, and the AYN Thor. All three are hotly anticipated devices I had planned on reviewing separately, but now all three are in an attention-feud with one another. I talk a little bit about what all three devices represent and how I'm thinking about them going into my review process.

Welcome back to the show! Unfortunately Xbox can't stop dominating the news cycle, so I dug a bit into their next, priecier console and apparently-strategic lack of exclusive games. Afterwards I felt like I needed to dig back into my feeling about Pokemon Legends Z-A having played a lot more since giving some first impressions last week.Xbox's 30 Percent Mandate: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-23/microsoft-pushes-xbox-studios-to-hit-higher-profit-marginsPost Games: https://pod.link/1815131711---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths1:05 - Zero Days Since Last Talked About Xbox19:55 - Nintendo Switch 2 Games29:05 - Even More About Pokemon Legends Z-A---⏆

Welcome back to the show! This week I can't NOT talk about Xbox again — sorry!! But also I gush about Ball x Pit and dig into my (very) early impressions of Pokemon Legends Z-A before talking through the huge Pokemon roadmap leak that hit the internet earlier this week. Pokemon Leaks: https://twistedvoxel.com/pokemon-leak-reveals-upcoming-games-through-2030-canceled-titles-beta-builds/---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths4:15 - Ball x Pit Good12:21 - ROG Xbox Ally Reviews are out26:06 - Pokemon All the Way Down48:45 - Listener Questions!---⏆

Nintendo is making movies, theme parks, and aligning their games with other multimedia experiences in a way that screams Corporate Synergy Opportunities™ — the kind that board members go absolutely gaga over.On today's episode of Wavelengths, I tackle that along with some updates about Xbox and my experience playing the Resident Evil Requiem demo at New York Comic Con!

Welcome back to the show! With some time away, I've been doing a lot of thinking about where Sony and Microsoft are at these days... as usual. I think in particular, Xbox as a brand feels like it's on a slow descent into a confused existence and I wanted to unpack that as best as I could.---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths0:45 - Hades II is good13:38 - Where’s PlayStation At Right Now26:20 - Is Xbox over at this point?39:47 - Listener questions!---⏆

Hello and welcome back to Wavelengths! Switching it up yet again this week as I solo-host an extremely low key episode of the show from the lounge chair in the corner of my home office. This week I'm talking about my experience having wrapped up Silksong, catching up with Borderlands 4's performance issues, having a slight change of heart about Game Keycards on the Switch 2, and answering your questions!Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths!10:15 - Even More Thoughts About Silksong24:46 - Borderlands 4 Performance Woes34:46 - Stray Nintendo Direct Thoughts40:29 - Final Fantasy VII Game Keycard45:20 - Yakuza Kiwami 3 Leaks48:29 - Audience Questions---⏆

This week I'm talking to Chase Allhart, host of two great video game podcasts in the form of Video Game Podtimism and dotzip! Obviously Silksong is in the air, and the amount of discourse surrounding this one game is off the charts, so we dig into that in a big way before talking about making video game podcasts and, ultimately, Kingdom Hearts IV.—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:007 First Light State of Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwRpK8eoLLENomura on Kingdom Hearts IV: https://www.ign.com/articles/tetsuya-nomura-offers-promising-update-on-final-fantasy-7-remake-part-3-and-kingdom-hearts-4—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths!1:57 - The Dreaded Silksong Discourse56:17 - 007 First Light1:07:48 - MGS 3 Delta1:27:09 - Video Game Podtimism1:31:54 - Kingdom Hearts IV—⏆

This week I'm talking to Matt Horton, host of Can't Let it Go, In Sequence, and Flow State about the rumors of four upcoming video game consoles... three of which are the PlayStation 6 somehow. This was a great conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:Flow State: https://www.youtube.com/@flowstatecritPlayStation 6 Rumors: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sony-is-reportedly-planning-a-nintendo-switch-style-playstation-6-portable/Valve Fremont Rumors: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/valve-preps-mysterious-fremont-steamos-device-powered-by-amd-ryzen-processor-potential-steam-box-may-sport-a-hawk-point-cpu-with-zen-4-and-rdna-3-graphics—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths0:54 - The PlayStation 631:45 - Valve Fremont48:52 - iPhone Season1:01:29 - Flow State and Creating Online

This week I'm talking to Percia Verlin, fashion creator and podcaster... she's also my wife. Percia asked me for some vertical iPhone game recommendations, so I brought her on the show to walk through them and have a chat about her gaming history.—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:Percia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@percishNintendo Refusing Switch 2 Dev Kits: https://wavelengths.online/posts/nintendo-still-refusing-to-ship-switch-2-dev-kitsThe List of Vertical Mobile Games: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1prrIzIL14vifqpLAjtaVGGn2N0B2kBMA6eH1lHD5Y2s/edit?usp=sharing—Chapters:0:00 - Borat Voice My Wife17:26 - What's Percia Playing?40:10 - Switch 2 Dev Kits55:10 - Vertical Mobile Games—⏆

This week I'm switching things up a little bit, starting with some news about Hollow Knight Silksong and Gamescom before launching into a chat with AJ Fillari!We chat about podcasting, their show DotZip, our podcast network, and building up the critical muscle. It's a good one!—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:AJ on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.socialdotzip: https://dotzip.online/Kirby Air Riders: https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-direct-august-2025-kirby-air-riders-switch-2/ Silksong Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XGeJwsUP9cJason Schrier on Silksong: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-makeLast of Us Online Directors' New Game: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/director-of-scrapped-the-last-of-us-online-says-his-new-us-japan-studio-is-making-a-cinematic-multiplayer-title/AYN Thor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEzXQkmSWuY—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths!1:00 - Hollow Knight Silksong and Gamescom23:20 - The Worst Garbage Online40:21 - AJ's Podcasting Journey1:20:14 - On Media Crit1:48:02 - More News!1:58:32 - Kirby Air Riders—⏆