DLC
Official Website of the DLC Podcast
Season 5 (2015)
Episode 1: The Brothers Mario, Part 1
It began 30 years ago, when Jumpman from Donkey Kong got his own game, and was given a brother decked in green. It's part 1 of our 30th anniversary celebration of the Super Mario franchise.
Panel: Brian, Ron, Reid, Joshua
Episode 2: Just Stop It Already
What is it about video game developers that grind our gears? Is it the fact that many keep using the same mechanics that frequently annoy us? Tacked-on multiplayer? DRM? On this episode, we rant about the things that developers frequently do that piss us off. Panel: Brian, Ron, Shanna
Episode 3: Broken Games
We discuss the growing trend of broken video games: games sold to consumers that are loaded with glitches or incomplete, often requiring a myriad of patches that must be downloaded as soon as the game is popped in for the first time. How can the industry address that? Panel: Brian, Ron, Wyatt
Episode 4: PAX East 2015
At the 6th Penny Arcade Expo (East) in Boston, MA., it was another 3-day weekend of relentless stimulation. On this episode, the five of us recap our own personal sights, sounds, and experiences of another 3-day romp known as PAX East. Panel: Brian, Shanna, Wyatt, Reid, Jen
Episode 5: Enter Sony, Part 1
Twenty years ago, Sony launched the PlayStation. No longer was it just Nintendo and Sega fighting for gamers' dollars. With improved graphical capabilities over its competitors, disc-based games, and a large library, Sony proved it was playing for keeps. Panel: Brian, Ron, Ronald, Shanna, Ryan W.
Episode 6: In Defense of Short Games
Too often gamers associate cost of a video game to a game's length, feeling that if you pay $60 for a game, you should get a ton of play out of it. Sometimes, though, quality of a game trumps quantity, which can sometimes be an unpopular opinion. Agree or not? Panel: Brian, Ron, Ben, Wyatt, Catherine
Episode 7: The Brothers Mario, Part 2
On the second episode of our yearlong celebration of 30 years of Super Mario Bros, we talk and reminisce over the 5 major games released over the SNES, N64 and Gamecube: Super Mario World 1 & 2, Super Mario RPG, Mario 64, and Mario Sunshine. Panel: Brian, Ron
Episode 8: Chrono Time
Three weeks before the PlayStation US launch, Square released a game that remains one of the greatest games of all time. For many, it's a perfect game: the perfect balance of story, characters, gameplay, and music. Happy 20th anniversary, Chrono Trigger! Panel: Brian, Ron, Ronald, Nick, Doug, Tanya
Episode 9: Enter Sony, Part 2
Part 2 of our PlayStation 20th Anniversary series rolls on, with more nostalgia and fond recollections from the PS1 era. Panel: Brian, Ron, Tanya, Dejah
Episode 10: Battle for the Past
We discuss the dispute going on between the EFF and the ESA: should video games be legally allowed to be preserved and played after the companies who host these games shut down those servers, or should they forever be consigned to history in the name of anti-piracy? Panel: Brian, Ron, Doug
Episode 11: E3 2015
Now that we've had a few weeks to take it all in, we look at all the highlights from this year's E3 and give you our thoughts on the reveals, announcements, and news. What are we looking forward to? Find out here. Panel: Brian, Ron, Shanna, Nick
Episode 12: Free Play 8.0
Our motley panel have an open discussion and give their thoughts on a variety of gaming topics in the first of this season's Free Play episodes--what they're currently playing, 3D gaming, the final numbers of the Steam summer sale, and more! Panel: Brian, Ron, Nick, Ryan W.
Episode 13: Thank You, Mr. Iwata
We talk about the late Satoru Iwata, 4th president of Nintendo, who died suddenly in July 2015. On this episode, we discuss his contributions not just to Nintendo, but to gaming as a whole.
Panel: Brian, Ron, Nick
Episode 14: Free Play 9.0
Summer rolls on, and with it, comes out second Free Play episode of the year. On it, we bat around such topics as China ending its 15-year old ban on game consoles, professional gaming instituting a drug-testing policy, speculating on Nintendo's NX, and more. Panel: Brian, Nick
Episode 15: The Kisareth Empire
In response to a fan's request, we decided to sit down with a few of the awesome people over at indie game developer Kisareth Studios. We talk about they came to be, their Chronicles of a Dark Lord series, and their plans for the future. Panel: Brian, Ron, Tanya, John Sierra, Ryan Hallisey
Episode 16: The Brothers Mario, Part 3
On part 3 of our Super Mario 30th anniversary, we delve into the most recent releases: New Super Mario Bros on the DS, 3DS, Wii, and Wii U, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, 3D World and 3D Land. We also speculate about the future, and talk about Super Mario Maker as well. Panel: Brian, Ron, Doug
Episode 17: Free Play 10.0
We have 3 panelists making their DLC debuts, each giving us new topics of open discussion: from the fate of the Metal Gear Solid series without Kojima, Pokemon, a look at eSports, first-person exploration games, and much more. Panel: Brian, Ron, Gabriel Cleveland, Brittany Bordeau, Rich Osborn
Episode 18: Games In Other Media
In Season 1, we devoted an episode to movies based on video games and their abysmal track record. But what about adapting games to other media, such as comic books, graphic novels, full-length novelizations, and even TV shows? Panel: Brian, Ron, Shanna
Episode 19: The Test of Time (Episode 100)
DLC reaches its 100th episode, and for it, we go back to the nostalgia well to talk about games that we feel have aged well, as well as games that have failed the test of time. Panel: Brian, Ron, Shanna, Nick, Gabriel
Episode 20: Holiday 2015 Lineup
We take a look through this year's lineup of holiday releases, talk about them, and also look ahead to what's due in 2016. Brian also goes on a bit of a Square Enix rant in the second half. Panel: Brian, Ron
Episode 21: Enter Sony, Part 3
The final episode of our 20th anniversary celebration of the original PlayStation highlights some of the genres that the system was known for, particularly RPGs. We throw some more survival horror, action, fighting, and even sports titles to our list of recollected games. Panel: Brian, Ron, Gabriel
Episode 22: On Gaming Journalism
Wyatt from the gaming blog Sprites and Dice takes over the host's chair and engages the panel in a wide-ranging discussion about many aspects of gaming journalism: reviews (and the bias therein), opinion pieces, writing about experiences, and more. Panel: Brian, Wyatt, Nick, Ryan W., Michael
Episode 23: The Brothers Mario, Part 4
It began with Mario, and we'll end with Mario. We talk about many of the offshoot Mario games including Mario Kart, Mario Party, and the myriad sports titles as we wrap up both our 30th anniversary celebration of Super Mario and our 5th season of DLC. Panel: Brian, Ron
Bonus: Season 5 Outtakes
Outtakes, bloopers, and some off-air shenanigans are here in this bonus DLC.