Digitally Uploaded

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!

December 2023 Podcast: The most memorable games of 2023, and Xenogears and difficult classics

It's the final podcast of 2023! We hope that everyone has played some magnificent games this year, and is looking forward to a well-earned break (and perhaps a chance to catch up on the backlog). 

We've rounded out the year in style, with a big podcast, looking back at all the great and memorable things we played in 2023, the big games still to come, and then, for the retro-inclined, those classics that were difficult and challenging to audiences. 

As always, let us know what you think, and have a wonderful end of the year, everyone!

November 2023 Podcast: The Nintendo Switch 2, and great games we’ve somehow never played

In among all the big games releasing in November (seriously, just check out the "games of the month" list), we found some time to muse on what to expect from the Nintendo Switch successor this month.

Surely the console is reaching the end of its life, and surely Nintendo is getting closer to making the announcement of the successor... so what are we expecting from it?

In this podcast we also discuss some games that we just know we'll love... and yet haven't played yet. You might be surprised by some of the stuff we've missed!

That's it for this podcast. Have an awesome month filled with great games, everyone!

October 2023 Podcast: What Jim Ryan did to Sony, and why Baldur’s Gate 3 is so special

We've reached the tail end of the year, and the games keep on coming! As you'll see from our October release list, there's a lot to look forward to - a lot - so make sure you clear those weekends away. 

Then, for the rest of the podcast, we tackle two topics to deal with the big end of town. Firstly, with Jim Ryan stepping down from Sony, we discuss his legacy, how Sony changes under his management, and what might be next now the company will have a chance in leadership. 

Then we also chat about Baldur's Gate, which is surely the darling game of 2023. How did something so different become so successful, and what can the industry learn from it. 

That's a wrap for this month! Let us know your thoughts, and have an awesome October!

September 2023 Podcast: Games that ”get worse” over time... and games we’d never play on the train

It's September already! We recorded this episode well in advance for scheduling reasons, and so some of the things we say in here will be out of date... but we still have a good laugh, despite not knowing what has happened over the last six weeks. 

So this week we kick off by looking at the big games releasing in September. Then we chat about games that "get worse" over time. Finally, we have a good laugh examining where our limits are as to what we'd play on the train. 

Thanks as always for tuning in, and do let us know your own thoughts about any and all of these topics!

August 2023 Podcast: We rank all the JRPGs. ALL of them.

This month's podcast is a simple one: we rank all the JRPGs! Yep, that's right, we go through all the major series, old and new, and class them according to the tiers we think they belong to. 

We assume some people are going to yell at us over our picks!

We also list out all the big games happening in August. It's yet another month where you better get those batteries charged, because there's a lot to play. 

Let us know your own JRPG rankings, and we'll see you next month!

July 2023 Podcast: Final Fantasy XVI deep dive, and do old games ”age”?

Something old and something new for discussion in this month's podcast! 

We kick things off as we always do with a look at all the games releasing in July. If you're a fan of Japanese games - and JRPGs in particular - steel yourself because the month is going to be intense.

From there we talk about Final Fantasy XVI in-depth. What were the themes that we found most poignant about it, what has disappointed us in how the conversation around the game has gone, and what do we think (and hope) this masterpiece means for Japanese games, JRPGs, and blockbusters in general?

Finally, to wrap a loaded podcast off, we chat about retro games, and ask the question "do they age? Should they be compared to the games that get released today, or if not how to we judge their ongoing value to the industry?"

As always let us know your own thoughts in the comments, and thanks for tuning in to our humble little podcast!

June 2023 Podcast: What makes a good sequel? And how can narrative be more accessible?

Welcome to the June 2023 edition of the Digitally Uploaded podcast! As usual we've got a great show for you planned. 

We start by chatting through all the big releases in June. It's dominated by one particular game, but there's a lot of other interesting stuff coming too! 

Then we talk about sequels - what makes a good sequel? Should it be a direct continuation of its predecessor, or something totally different? And is it okay to reuse elements, such as the same in-game world?

Finally, we talk about narrative accessibility. With games becoming increasingly large and dense, what can and should developers do to make sure they're bringing audiences on the journey with them?

Thanks as always for tuning in, and have a great month of gaming ahead!

May 2023 Podcast: Our favourite Final Fantasy moments of all time... also what the heck is wrong with AAA games?

Hello everyone, and welcome to the bumper podcast we have for you for May!

In addition to talking through all the big games coming out this month (it's dominated by one game in particular... can you guess what game?), we also chat through two big topics:

Firstly, with Final Fantasy XVI just on the horizon (and the Pixel Remasters just out on console), we ask ourselves what were our favourite moments of the series, from its early days right through to the most modern releases.

Then, in light of the horrible releases of Redfall and Forspoken this year, we also ask: while AAA-grade remakes are doing just fine (consider Resident Evil 4), why are the big publishers struggling so much to have original ideas?

Enjoy the banter, and we'll be back next month!

April 2023 Podcast: AI is ruining games, and good writing might just save them

This month on the Digitally Uploaded podcast, we grapple with the thorniest of issues currently plaguing video games: The role that AI is increasingly playing in the "creative" side of development. In short, it's a problem. Potentially, a very big problem.

Then, to be more positive, we talk about excellent writing in games. What are some of the games over the years that have really stood out to us as examples of just purely good writing?

All that, plus our usual wrap of the most interesting-looking games coming out this month. Kick back and enjoy the two-hour show... and thanks as always for tuning in!