Digitally Uploaded

November 2024 Podcast: Dragon Age: The Veilguard is not a good game, but Nintendo Music is great!

After ten years there's finally a new Dragon Age game. Unfortunately, it's also one of the biggest disappointments of the year. So we dig into that a bit, looking at where things went to wrong and what the game really should have been. 

We also look at the newly-released Nintendo Music app, and all the promise it holds. Is it just the start of bigger things to come? We think so...

And of course we discuss all the big games releasing in November. There's plenty to look forward to!

October 2024 Podcast: It's Halloween, so we talk horror. Also, we chat about our own visual novel, The Last Waltz!

It's the spooky time of year again, and of course all the developers and publishers have been rushing out their horror games. There's some good ones, too, and this month we chat a bit about what makes a good horror game in our view. 

We also talk about all the other games that are releasing in October - there are a lot of them! Games to suit every taste, no less! 

And then finally we also take some time to talk about our own visual novel project: The Last Waltz. After working on it for more than two years now, we are enormously excited with how it's coming together. 

Thanks as always for tuning in, and enjoy the games!

September 2024 Podcast: The rise and fall of live service games, and our pure joy: Lollipop Chainsaw is back!

Lollipop Chainsaw is back! Lollipop Chainsaw is back! FINALLY! 

We're very excited about the imminent re-release of the game with the cheerleader, her mini-skirt, and all them zombies to slay. But we're also very interested to see if the discourse behind this game has changed in any way, because it was once a very controversial title indeed. 

Elsewhere on the podcast we also discuss the inglorious fate of Concord and the seemingly inevitable decline of live service games. The market is demonstrating that it has firmly met its saturation point and it is almost certainly a case of diminishing returns for anyone that tries to do another one now.

And of course, we talk through all the games releasing for the rest of September. There's A LOT.

August 2024 Podcast: Sports, our most played Nintendo Switch games of all time, and all the big August releases

Who doesn't love their Switch? It is arguably the finest console of all time (though the arguments you can make in favour of it are very compelling), and this week we dig into some of our most played games of all time. 

Given that it's the 2024 Olympic Games, we also talk about sports, and the kinds of sports games we like to see. As it turns out, there is a point where "realism" in sports games can be to its detriment. 

And finally we chat about all the game releases in August. It's not the biggest month of the year, but there's some real gems in there that you won't want to miss.

July 2024 Podcast: Mature N64 games, Nintendo and female protagonists, and the games of July

Welcome to the July episode of the Digitally Uploaded podcast! 

This month, we kick off discussing all the big games in July, highlighting anticipated titles like Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Battle Cats Unite, and The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak. We also discuss niche titles and ports like Spin Rhythm XD, Princess Maker 2 Regeneration, and Earth Defense Force 6.

From there, we explore the newly released Nintendo 64 Mature App, which currently includes the two classics Perfect Dark and Turok. Two games doesn't make much of a compilation, so we discuss some of the other games that we hope to see on there, including Turok 2, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

Finally, we wrap up with a chat on the representation of female protagonists in gaming. With the upcoming The Legend of Zelda game starring Zelda herself and the recent Princess Peach Showtime, we debate the merits and challenges of diversifying character roles while maintaining their core identities.

Thanks as always for tuning in, and we'll see you next month!

June 2024 Podcast: The woeful state of game development, Yasuke and Assassin's Creed, and the games of June

Welcome to the latest episode of the Digitally Uploaded Podcast! 

This month we talk about the sorry state of game development, in light of everything that has been going on with Microsoft shuttering studios (and then immediately looking for more acquisitions)

Then we discuss the controversy surrounding Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed game set in Japan, focusing on the historical character Yasuke, the first African samurai. We chat about the importance of accurate historical representation and the backlash against the game's protagonist. 

And, of course, we discuss all the big game releases for June. What's on your agenda?

Thanks as always for tuning in, and as always we'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these topics!

May 2024 Podcast: Weird, quirky games, Suikoden and literature, and the games of May

This month we delve into everything from the controversial Stella Blade to the untapped potential in Australian game stories such as Broken Roads, and everything in-between.

We kick off the podcast talking about all the games we're looking forward to that are coming out in May. There are some surprising ones on the horizon that you probably weren't aware of, but should have on the radar! 

From there we talk about the quirky, less popular games from the 90s such as Iggy's Wrecking Balls and Ayden Chronicles, and how difficult it can be to preserve those titles for future generations. 

And then finally we talk about adapting books to games - Suikoden, for example, is based on Water Margin, and while you don't need to have read the book to enjoy the game, the relationship between the two is interesting, and it would be nice to see more game developers do that.

Thanks as always for tuning in, and we'll see you next month!

April 2024 Podcast: Dragon's Dogma 2 is open worlds done well & how to onboard us with new games

This month on the Digitally Uploaded podcast, we dive deep into Dragon's Dogma 2, as a rare example of an open world that delivers on the promise of open world games. It's not for everyone... but wow is it a work of art. 

We also discuss how game developers on board us with new games and concepts... especially at a time when we're all busy and only have a few hours a week to ourselves. What can developers do to make sure we're enjoying that time to the best, rather than learning complex systems?

Finally, we take a look at the games coming out in April. Thankfully it's a relatively quiet month... but there are still a few big hitters that you're not going to want to miss. 

Thank you as always for tuning in!

March 2024 Podcast: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and games that come out of nowhere

Welcome to the March episode of the Digitally Uploaded podcast – your go-to destination for everything video gaming. It's a big month. It's a Final Fantasy month!

We start by chatting about the big games coming out this month, including Fitness Boxing featuring Hatsune Miku, the retro Top Racer Collection which revisits the nostalgia of 16-bit racing games, and Snufkin, Melody of Moominvalley. And that's just the indie stuff. There are some BIG games on the way.

Then we chat about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's gripping narrative, versus some of the open-world stuff, which we are of two minds on. But there is no doubt that this is a very big game, and one that's going to go down well in history given that it's the third-highest rated Final Fantasy of all time.

Then, finally, we chat about games that come out of nowhere and we just didn't have on our radar until they released. One was Helldivers 2, which is currently doing the rounds as the hottest game on the market. The other is the unfortunately overlooked and seemingly doomed-to-obscurity Banishers. 

We ponder the effectiveness of marketing strategies in the gaming industry based on how these games have managed to get the response that they have. 

Tune in to our deeply thinky podcast, and let us know your own thoughts!

February 2024 Podcast: Accessibility, Lunar New Year, and more!

Diving into Gaming Accessible to All

In the first episode of 2024, we start by looking at all the upcoming game releases for February 2024. This year has been off to an incredible start, and the momentum continues this month. Big time.

Enhancing Gaming with Accessibility

From Final Fantasy to Sony games, we investigate the strides taken in gaming accessibility in this episode. We explore the convenience provided by features such as "easy story-based mode" in action-based games, the challenge in making boss battles work without relying on grinding experience, and how to optimise games based on personal comfort settings. 

Unearthing the Cultural Element in Gaming

We then dive into the minimal representation of the Chinese Lunar New Year in games. Yes, some popular games like Overwatch do something, but many others miss out on a big opportunity to share diverse cultures.

Thank you as always for tuning in, and welcome to a new year of the Digitally Uploaded podcast!