Between Levels Podcast

WheelieAverage has finally jumped into World of Warcraft: Forever, and after just two hours, he's already hooked.This week on Between Levels, Wheelie and FightinCowboy are joined by ScreenRant writer and Black Comics Chat podcaster Leo Faierman to discuss the launch of WoW Forever.Wheelie shares his first-ever World of Warcraft experience, Cowboy gives the veteran perspective on why Forever feels different from modern WoW, and the group discusses PvP, guilds, the economy, bots, controller support and whether this is the best time yet for new players to jump in.Then it's back to Phantom Blade Zero.Cowboy is approaching the end of the game and now considers Phantom Blade Zero his Game of the Year. We discuss its combat, bosses, weapon experimentation, difficulty, storytelling, side quests, New Game Plus and whether it ultimately stands alongside games like Sekiro and Onimusha: Way of the Sword.Featuring WheelieAverage, FightinCowboy and special guest Leo Faierman.#WorldOfWarcraft #PhantomBladeZero #BetweenLevels

Could Phantom Blade Zero actually be better than Sekiro?This week, FightinCowboy and Sarthe share their first impressions of Phantom Blade Zero, and the early verdict is VERY positive.Cowboy is approaching ten hours with the game and believes its combat comes closer than almost anything else to capturing the back-and-forth dance that makes Sekiro so special. We discuss its huge weapon variety, challenging optional bosses, exploration and why some players may be approaching the game with the wrong expectations by treating it like a Soulslike.We also get into a much bigger debate about what actually makes a video game great. Is gameplay always king? Can narrative-driven games, walking simulators and visual novels be just as compelling with less traditional interaction? And how much do graphics and presentation really matter?Then we answer your questions about gaming backlogs, whether reviewers and content creators would play as many games if it wasn't their job, and which recent releases we'd actually recommend if you could only afford one game.Plus, Sarthe is finally back, Wheelie prepares for his first-ever World of Warcraft experience, and Cowboy and Sarthe inevitably end the show nerding out over WoW add-ons.Featuring WheelieAverage, FightinCowboy and Sarthe.CHAPTERS00:00 – Welcome to Between Levels Episode 1801:17 – Phantom Blade Zero First Impressions04:24 – Could Phantom Blade Zero Actually Top Sekiro?07:14 – Why the Combat Gets Better and Better13:46 – Phantom Blade Zero Is NOT a Soulslike18:13 – Difficulty, Power Fantasy & Optional Bosses24:45 – Phantom Blade Zero Early Game Tips31:33 – Could This Define a New Genre?33:54 – Calling Out Bad Creator Behaviour36:47 – Is Gameplay Always King?40:20 – Can Games With Less Gameplay Still Be Great?45:29 – Your Comments & Questions46:05 – Do Content Creators Have Gaming Backlogs?51:30 – Would We Play This Many Games Without Our Jobs?55:41 – Which Games Are Actually Worth Your Money?58:34 – If You Could Only Buy ONE Game...1:01:57 – Wheelie Picks Call of Duty1:03:20 – Cowboy Picks Phantom Blade Zero1:04:11 – World of Warcraft Forever Is Coming1:05:00 – Cowboy & Sarthe Nerd Out Over WoW Add-Ons1:10:47 – One Final Community Comment1:11:15 – Outro

WheelieAverage has played three hours of Stranger Than Heaven, and RGG Studio might have created one of the strangest combat systems we’ve ever seen.This week, Wheelie and FightinCowboy break down Stranger Than Heaven’s unusual limb-based combat, weapons, executions, accessibility concerns and story spanning five different decades.We also return to Valor Mortis now that Cowboy has played significantly more of the game. He explains why he currently sits around a 4/5 despite the bugs, while Wheelie discusses his final 7/10 review and why he thinks the game could become much easier to recommend after a few patches.Then we discuss the closure of BioWare, the legacy of the studio behind Mass Effect and other iconic RPGs, EA’s role in its struggles and why celebrating developers losing their jobs is something we simply cannot understand.Elsewhere, we talk Dragon’s Dogma, the rising cost and risk of AAA development, whether buying games later hurts developers, community comments, our Fantasy Critic battle and The Bonus Level’s Final Fantasy Resonance roundtable.Featuring WheelieAverage and FightinCowboy.CHAPTERS00:00 – Welcome to Between Levels Episode 1701:38 – Wheelie Has Played Stranger Than Heaven02:08 – More Valor Mortis Impressions04:46 – Cowboy’s Valor Mortis Verdict So Far06:12 – Wheelie’s Final Valor Mortis Review07:44 – Why Dragon’s Dogma Feels Like a True Adventure11:18 – The End of BioWare14:42 – Stop Celebrating Studios Closing17:14 – Why Making Games Is Such a Financial Risk22:49 – Stranger Than Heaven Hands-On Impressions24:52 – The Combat Is VERY Hard to Learn26:09 – Weapons Completely Change the Combat29:11 – Stranger Than Heaven’s Accessibility Concerns30:35 – How Do You Tell a Story Across Five Decades?33:04 – Yes, Snoop Dogg Teaches You How to Roll33:23 – RGG Is Letting Its Next Generation Cook35:01 – Your Open-World Comments36:15 – Not Every Game Needs to Be for Everybody38:05 – Oblivion, Morrowind & RPG Freedom42:23 – Does Buying Games Later Hurt Developers?46:43 – Does FightinCowboy Promote Between Levels Enough?53:06 – Fantasy Critic Is Coming Down to the Wire1:00:30 – The Bonus Level & Final Fantasy Resonance1:02:42 – Why Cowboy Struggles With Turn-Based Games1:05:53 – The Internet Made FightinCowboy Bald1:08:37 – Can Open Worlds Feel TOO Aimless?1:10:18 – What Happened to Fun Sports Games?1:11:34 – A Future Between Levels Tournament?1:14:34 – The “Beat Down Wheelie” Stream1:16:10 – Our Game Awards & GOTY Plans1:16:57 – Outro

Welcome to The Bonus Level — an extra Between Levels episode outside of our normal numbered weekly podcast.WheelieAverage is joined by Dom from Dom’s Roundtable and Danreb Victorio from SmashPad for a special Final Fantasy Resonance review roundtable.Wheelie has finished the main story and spent around 40 hours with the game, Dom has put more than 70 hours into it and explored virtually everything, while Dan joins us from the middle of Chapter 6. That gives us three very different perspectives on Square Enix’s return to old-school, turn-based Final Fantasy.We discuss the HD-2D presentation, characters, story and the Vision system, which lets you combine abilities from iconic Final Fantasy characters in some ridiculous ways.We also get into Resonance attacks, the soundtrack, how successfully Square Enix transformed a former mobile game into a full premium release, endgame grinding, Espers, technical issues and whether Final Fantasy Resonance really is a must-play JRPG.Finally, we look beyond Resonance and ask where Final Fantasy should go next. Should Final Fantasy XVII remain 3D? Could turn-based combat make a full comeback? And what influence could games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have on the future of the franchise?Featuring WheelieAverage, Dom’s Roundtable and Danreb Victorio of SmashPad.CHAPTERS00:00 – Welcome to The Bonus Level01:20 – The Final Fantasy Resonance Review Roundtable02:11 – Wheelie’s Final Fantasy Resonance Impressions03:07 – Danreb’s First Impressions05:00 – Dom’s Thoughts After 70+ Hours06:16 – How Wheelie Got Into Turn-Based Games10:01 – The Vision System Explained15:06 – Resonance Attacks & Breaking the Combat System18:06 – The Problem With Unlocking Visions19:28 – Final Fantasy Resonance Is a Museum for the Franchise20:31 – Final Fantasy’s Iconic Music23:39 – Gilgamesh & Classic Final Fantasy References24:51 – You’d Never Know This Was a Mobile Game28:18 – Is Final Fantasy Resonance a MUST-PLAY?30:27 – What Doesn’t Work?32:14 – The Endgame Grind34:43 – The Hidden Vision That Makes Grinding Easier36:20 – Taking 16 Turns & Dealing Over a Million Damage37:03 – Are Espers Too Weak?39:16 – Technical Issues41:05 – Quality-of-Life Features We Want42:43 – Why Fast Travel Works So Well47:15 – Where Does Final Fantasy Go Next?52:35 – Final Verdicts56:43 – Guest Coverage & Outro

Valor Mortis takes centre stage this week as WheelieAverage, FightinCowboy and Sarthe dive into the game, its aggressive first-person combat, build crafting and some of the technical issues Wheelie encountered during his playthrough.Wheelie has finished Valor Mortis, while Cowboy is around five or six hours into the game and having a much more positive experience so far. We compare impressions, break down Cowboy’s parry-focused build and discuss what works — and what doesn’t.Wheelie also shares his thoughts on the new Street Fighter movie after attending a special screening with Paramount Pictures. That quickly turns into a much bigger conversation about video game adaptations, whether games are the best form of entertainment and why translating an interactive experience into film can be so difficult.We also discuss whether Castlevania needed to evolve, why franchises have to change, annual sports games recycling old features, Hogwarts Legacy, Lord of the Rings games, the Nemesis System and whether developers should prioritise accessibility or depth when adapting major IP.Later, we get into gaming fatigue and open-world design, including Rise of the Ronin, Nioh 3, Mad Max, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Red Faction Guerrilla, Crimson Desert, Outer Wilds, Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2.Finally, we discuss Cyberpunk 2077’s remarkable recovery, whether No Man’s Sky did it even better and some of gaming’s seemingly endless development cycles.Featuring WheelieAverage, FightinCowboy and Sarthe.