Crossplay Conversations: A Video Game Podcast

Episode Notes This week, the lads are joined by special guest Claire Helmberger (The LukeWarmGames Podcast) to celebrate their favorite games of 2024 with their annual game of the year spectacular! Look for the 2024 GOTY Finale and the reveal of the Crossplay Conversations Top 10 Games of 2024 on January 28th! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 3:09 - Introducing the 2024 awards categories 3:50 - Best Gameplay Loop 25:29 - Most Underrated Game 45:43 - Business Boy’s 2024 Bit of Bad Business 1:07:26 - The Luke Lewis “Chill Out with a Coffee on a Rainy Weekend Afternoon” Game(TM) 1:18:49 - Hooper’s Puzzle Paradise Award 1:26:20 - Claire's Creatively Cozy Award 1:34:21 - Outro Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social @clairebearrose.bsky.social Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Claire Helmberger:@ClaireHelmberg1 Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Once again, Jacob, Luke, Joseph, and special guest Claire Helmberger (The LukeWarmGames Podcast) sit down to discuss their favourite games of 2022. This was originally released in January 2023 in the LukeWarmGames podcast feed! Timestamps: 2:20 Most Joyous Experience 12:10 Best Bang For Your Buck 27:40 Most Pleasant Surprise 47:10 Best Music 59:00 Best Video Game Ass Video Game 1:09:20 Best Cozy Game 1:20:10 Business Boy’s Bit of Bad Business 1:30:55 Most Disappointing Game 1:40:30 Best Non-2022 Game 1:51:10 Best Game That We Didn’t Play 1:55:35 Best Multiplayer 2:06:50 Best Visuals - Technical 2:11:30 Best Visuals - Art Direction 2:23:15 Best Performance/Favorite Protagonist 2:33:40 Best Supporting Character/NPC 2:43:00 Best Indie 3:07:10 Best Narrative 3:22:00 Best Moment 3:48:35 Top 10 Games of 2022 Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Jacob, Luke and Joseph along with special guest Claire Helmberger (The LukeWarmGames Podcast) sit down to discuss their favorite games of 2021. This was originally released in January 2022 in the LukeWarmGames podcast feed! Timestamps: 3:50 Most Joyous Experience 17:40 Best Bang For Your Buck 23:00 Most Pleasant Surprise 43:50 Best Music 52:00 Best Big Dumb Fun 1:00:00 Best Multiplayer 1:05:30 Best Visuals - Technical 1:11:00 Best Visuals - Art Direction 1:17:20 Best Performance/Favorite Protagonist 1:25:30 Best Supporting Character/NPC 1:34:00 Best Narrative 1:49:30 Best Moment 2:05:00 Top 10 Games of 2021 Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

This week, the lads celebrate the inaugural Indie Game Awards! Discussions include reactions to the award recipients, impressions from playing the nominees and some behind the scenes fun from being judges on an awards show. Find the full list of award recipients, nominees, presenters, and judges on the official IGA website. You can also check out the IGA Steam Sale, which showcases titles from this year’s nominees and presenters! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 2:10 - Icebreaker Question: How did it feel to judge an award show? 7:05 - Debut  14:55 - Notable Achievement in Accessibility 16:57 - Music 21:17 - Visual Design 26:43 - Bite-Sized Game 33:46 - Innovation 44:03 - Emotional Impact 49:38 - Gameplay Design 57:34 - Narrative 1:06:12 - Women-Led Game 1:06:56 - Solo Development 1:11:23 - Game of the Year 1:13:29 - Industry Impact 1:15:10 - Mohammad Fahmi Storyteller Award 1:16:57 - Final Thoughts and Outro Check Other IGA Nominee Episodes + Written Reviews: Mouthwashing, Crow Country and Grunn Review: https://plnk.to/crossplayconvos/e/1000673149935 Pacific Drive and Ultros Review Impressions: https://plnk.to/crossplayconvos/e/1000646013266 Thanks Goodness You're Here Review: https://plnk.to/crossplayconvos/e/1000664484618 Animal Well Review: https://plnk.to/crossplayconvos/e/1000657033170 Crypt Custodian Review Impressions: https://plnk.to/crossplayconvos/e/1000674886208 Thirsty Suitors (LukeWarmGames): https://lukewarmgamespodcast.buzzsprout.com/1187351/episodes/14047071-episode-137-thirsty-suitors-review-impressions Balatro (LukeWarmGames): https://lukewarmgamespodcast.buzzsprout.com/1187351/episodes/14575044-episode-141-balatro-review-impressions Little Kitty, Big City (LukeWarmGames): https://lukewarmgamespodcast.buzzsprout.com/1187351/episodes/15098086-episode-147-little-kitty-big-city-review Clickholding (LukeWarmGames): https://lukewarmgamespodcast.buzzsprout.com/1187351/episodes/15567513-episode-153-paper-trail-review-indie-game-tastemaking-corner Fear the Spotlight (The Gaming Brief): https://thegamingbrief.ca/2024/11/28/fear-the-spotlight-review/ Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast  Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast  Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

In this short episode, Jacob, Luke and Joseph break down The Game Awards 2024! We have another episode breaking The Indie Game Awards 2024 later this week! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 2:00 - The Game Awards High-Level Breakdown (as well as Split Fiction, Elden Ring: Nightreign and Catly) 12:30 - Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet 18:15 - More Announcements (Mafia: The Old Country, Okami Sequel, Onimusha, Turok: Origins, Stage Fright, Shadow Labyrinth, Clive in Tekken 8 and Helldivers 2's Omens of Tyranny) 22:10 - Awards, Celebrities & Outro Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

This week, Jacob, Luke and Joseph are joined by special guest Asa Greenriver (Borderline Entertainment) to chat about tabletop gaming and Asa's journey with board game design! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 2:45 - Housekeeping (Indie Game Awards & Schedule) 4:10 - Icebreaker: "What is the best game to kick off an evening of gaming?" 13:30 - Asa, his tabletop journey and his game 35:25 - Our Favourite Board Games 59:55 - Outro Note that our December schedule has shifted and our next show will be in three weeks on December 17th! Follow Asa and Borderline Entertainment: Asa Greenriver Twitter: @Agreenriver07 Asa Greenriver Bluesky: @agreenriver.bsky.social Asa Greenriver TikTok: @agreenriver07 Borderline Entertainment: YouTube & Merch Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Episode Notes This week Luke and Joseph are joined by special guest Dave Jackson (Tales from the Backlog) to chat about the state of RPGs in 2024. Discussion includes how the hosts got into the genre, thrilling impressions of this year’s biggest titles and more! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 2:01 - Ice Breaker Question: What qualifies as an RPG vs. a game with RPG elements? 8:38 - Our personal histories with RPGs. 24:03 - How have our tastes and perceptions of RPGs evolved over time? 40:18 - The RPGs of 2024! 1:11:24 - Outro Follow Dave and Tales from the Backlog: Dave Jackson Twitter: @RealDaveJackson Tales from the Backlog Twitter: @TFTBLpod Tales from the Back Bluesky: @tftblpod.bsky.social Tales from the Backlog Podcast Feed: talesfromthebacklog.fireside.fm Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast  Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast  Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Episode Notes This week Jacob and Luke chat about their time with five fantastic fall indie releases including Neva developed by Nomada Studio, Europa developed by Helder Pinto, Chozabu (Alex PB), Pinball Spire developed by Apparition Games, Crypt Custodian developed by Kyle Thompson and Phoenix Springs - Calligram Studio. Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 2:08 - Icebreaker Question: What will be your #11 game of 2024? What game do you predict will just barely miss a spot on your coveted top 10 list? 5:45 - Neva 14:26 - Europa 21:20 - Pinball Spire 26:45 - Crypt Custodian 34:19 - Phoenix Springs 44:09 - Outro Games Discussed on Today’s Episode: Neva - Nomada Studio Europa - Helder Pinto, Chozabu (Alex PB) Pinball Spire - Apparition Games Crypt Custodian - Kyle Thompson Phoenix Springs - Calligram Studio Jacob’s Gaming Brief Written Reviews: Pinball Spire Review Phoenix Springs Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis:@lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast: @PlayerPlayerPod Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast: @Cutscenes_Pod Left Behind Game Club: @LeftBehindClub Video Game Trivia: @VG_Trivia The LukeWarmGames Podcast: @lukewarmgames

This week, we prepare you for the spooky season with a trio of indie horror experiences. We have played Mouthwashing and are chomping to talk about it in-depth. Jacob also dives in on Grunn and Joseph talks about his experience playing Crow Country. Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Ice Breaker Question: "What’s a game that genuinely surprised you?" 8:50 - Mouthwashing Spoiler-Free Review 27:10 - Mouthwashing Spoilercast 53:55 - Crow Country Mini-Review 1:00:50 Grunn Mini-Review 1:07:20 Outro Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Episode Notes This week the lads are chatting about their time playing Astro Bot, developed by Team ASOBI! The discussion starts with spoiler-free impressions and moves into the spoilercast. We can find timestamps below! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 2:44 - Ice Breaker Question: What features make for a good platformer and what are your favorite games within the genre? 6:53 - Astro Bot Spoiler-Free Impressions 37:47 - Spoiler Discussion and Trivia Game: What That Bot? 01:13:24 - The Plucky Squire Early Impressions 01:16:42 - Outro Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis:@lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast: @PlayerPlayerPod Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast: @Cutscenes_Pod Left Behind Game Club: @LeftBehindClub Video Game Trivia: @VG_Trivia The LukeWarmGames Podcast: @lukewarmgames

This week, the lads are coming to you live from PAX West 2024 in Seattle, Washington with a star studded cast of special guests from across the video game industry! Seat back, relax and get your Steam Wishlists ready as the crew unpacks their favorite games from PAX West 2024! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 0:46 - Jill Grodt, EIC @ The Indie Informer & Trina Smith, Games Journalist @ Gamerheads Podcast 40:08 - Roger Reichardt, Games Journalist & Host @ Gamerheads Podcast & ClycloneMC, Host @ Point in Progress & Claire Helmberger, Host @ LukeWarmGames Podcast 1:03:53 - Geoff Moonen, Host @ “Fun” and Games Podcast & Sarah Moonen, Associate Producer, “Fun” and Games Podcast 1:25:33 - Joseph, Jacob & Luke close out the show Games Discussed During the Episode: God Save Birmingham Spiral Croak Everdeep Aurora Pioneers of Pagonia Doggy Don’t Care Heartworm Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist Winter Burrow Herdling The Stone of Madness Demon Spore Whisper Mountain Outbreak The Knightling Reggie, His Cousin, Two Scientists and Most Likely the End of the World TetherGeist OMUT While Waiting Usual June Outrider Mako Symphonia Kingdom Come Deliverance II Spirit of Midnight GHOSTS & Roger’s GHOSTS Interview with Jed Shepherd A Corgi’s Cozy Hike Kitchen Sync: Aloha! All Systems Dance Love Eternal Gas Station Story Desktop Explorer Rooster Honeycomb: The World Beyond POPUCOM Fowl Damage Tears of Metal Keylocker Feltopia Wilmot Works It Out GI Joe: Wrath of Cobra Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch THRESHOLD Time Flies Despelote Mouthwasing Check out our other PAX West content! LukeWarmGames PAX West Special Super Video Game Trivia: PAX West Edition! Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

This week the lads are joined by special guest Dave Proctor (Mighty Yell) to chat about how the studio Mighty Yell came to be, reminisce about the Big Con and take a sneak peak into the development of their latest game All Systems Dance. Join us for a wonderful look into the art of game design with plenty of laughs along the way! Wishlist All Systems Dance and check out Mighty Yell’s other titles and merch! All Systems Dance: https://www.mightyyell.com/allsystemsdance/ A Knight in the Attic: https://www.mightyyell.com/a-knight-in-the-attic/ The Big Con: https://www.mightyyell.com/ Mighty Yell Merch: https://mightyyell.myshopify.com/en-us Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 1:01 - Meet Mighty Yell’s Dave Proctor 1:59 - Dave’s path to working in games and a look at the writing process 13:13 - The evolution of Mighty Yell 29:39 - Building All Systems Dance 34:10 - The premise of All Systems Dance 40:45 - The community at Mighty Yell 52:01 - A Knight in the Attic 01:10:18 - Outro Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis:@lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast: @PlayerPlayerPod Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast: @Cutscenes_Pod Left Behind Game Club: @LeftBehindClub Video Game Trivia: @VG_Trivia The LukeWarmGames Podcast: @lukewarmgames

This week, Jacob, Luke and Joseph are joined by Baron Jones from LV1 Gaming is here to get you ready for PAX West 2024! On this episode of the show, we will give you tips on packing and surviving the con, navigating the city of Seattle and tell you what you should see during PAX West 2024! Check out Baron's writing on LV1 Gaming! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 3:30 - Our History with PAX 13:50 - Underrated Items to Pack 21:10 - General Tips 33:15 - Places to See in Seattle 40:30 - Events Around PAX 45:40 - Panels, Booths and Dr. Exoskeleton 1:00:00 Final Tips & Tricks and Close Resources: Sidequesting PAX Parties List Media Indie Exchange Seattle Indies Expo PAX Official Twitter PAX Lines Twitter PAX Unofficial Parties Twitter Please Check Out Our Events and Panels: Video Game Trivia at Hopvine Pub on Thursday, August 29th Video Game Trivia Panel on Friday, August 30th LANFest Charity Stream Zone Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Episode Notes This week Jacob and Luke give their review of Thank Goodness You’re Here! developed by Coal Supper, Dungeons of Hinterberg developed by Microbird, Été developed by Impossible and Penny’s Big Breakaway developed by Evening Star. A big thanks to Popagenda for providing us with review codes for Été and Thank Goodness You’re Here! Find Jacob’s written reviews via the Gaming Brief below: Été Thank Goodness You’re Here! Find timestamps for this episode below: 0:00 - Intro 0:38 - Ice Breaker- How do we feel about the end of GameInformer? 6:32 - Thank Goodness You’re Here! 16:43 - Dungeons of Hinterberg 24:42 - Été 34:28 - Penny’s Big Breakaway 41:59 - Outro Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis:@lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast: @PlayerPlayerPod Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast: @Cutscenes_Pod Left Behind Game Club: @LeftBehindClub Video Game Trivia: @VG_Trivia The LukeWarmGames Podcast: @lukewarmgames

This week the lads discuss their favorite games of 2024 so far and give some recommendations of other new releases to check out! Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

This week Luke and Jacob unpack their favorite party and local multiplayer games from over the years. Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

This week the lads give their thoughts on the current state of the video game industry. Discussion topics include studio closures/layoffs, the impact of acquisitions, the future of first party publishers and more. Tweet from Jacob Navok: https://x.com/jnavok/status/1793779717813723521?s=46 Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

This week the lads reunite to give their thoughts on the recent summer showcase season. Get your wishlists ready and settle in for a wide ranging discussion covering announcements of all shapes and sizes. Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Episode Notes This week Joseph and Luke discuss their time playing Another Crab’s Treasure, Manor Lords and Animal Well! Additional topics include a bit of industry analysis about the upcoming console generation and the ongoing debate of video games versus art. Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia

Episode Notes This week Luke and Joseph discuss open ended game design, how this design philosophy differs between the AAA and Indie spaces and their favorite examples from the past and present. Find us on Twitter for show updates and more: Podcast: @crossplayconvos Joseph Hooper: @Th3HoopMan Jacob McCourt: @JacobMcCourt Luke Lewis: @lukewarmlewis Check out our other shows: Player Player Podcast Left Behind Game Club The LukeWarmGames Podcast Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast Video Game Trivia