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

This week Jacob and Luke chat about their time with a fantastic quartet of 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

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 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

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