Advertise on podcast: Pod 'em Up! - The Video Game "Book Club" Podcast

We're playing Tunic this month in the book club!.. well, as much of it as we can, at least. We're getting on a bit now, you see, and we struggle with challenging combat - especially parrying for some reason. But we give an an honest take on this beautiful but deceptively tricky game for modern platforms. The show is packed to the brim with other goodies though, including two separate hands-on previews! Ollie went to London to have a go on the upcoming Evercade Nexus console and its pack-in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie double pack! He also found his way onto the closed network test of Sega's new Crazy Taxi game too, and has much to say about both! Plus Word Factori, Super Woden: Rally Edge, an Incoming Indie that leaves us feeling a bit awkward, and perhaps best of all, Tibbs found his Golden Axe and Road Rash unofficial novels that came free with Sega Power magazine, and you bet he's going to read them to us! Incoming Indie: Lightspeed Lina (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cornflowerblue/lightspeed-lina) podemup.live | @PodEmUp | [email protected]

As it's episode 80, we thought we'd mark the occasion with a bunch of 80's games! The book club is a triple decker this month, with Alex Kidd in Miracle World on the Master System, Metal Gear on the MSX2 and the arcade version of Golden Axe! The first half of this huge episode gets a bit more serious mind you, as we discuss Sony's extremely controversial decision to cease all production of physical media from 2028 onwards, and the kind of ripple effects this will have on the industry going forward. Once again, we outline the importance of video game preservation and what an all-digital future means for still being able to play games even four or five years after their release. Luckily, normal service resumes in the second half, as we discover how Alex Kidd once completely scuppered Tibbs' chances for romance, Ollie quickly loses interest in Tellybugs, Twitch blatantly lies to use by pretending we have friends, and we laugh at another Sony gaff, as they introduce their newest mascot - an anxiety-ridden cartoon bear designed to take the Hello Kitty fanbase by storm.. Yes, really. Plus, Denshattack!!, Penny's Big Breakaway and gardener's corner asks can plants feel pain? (no). podemup.live | @PodEmUp | [email protected]

GTA: Vice City is a well-loved title in the franchise, so we thought the perfect game to introduce to Ollie, who has never properly played a GTA game before. Find out how it goes down, as we play and discuss Tommy Vercetti's 80's crime spree, and the appeal of gaming's most notorious series in general. We've got loads more too in this lengthy episode, including our impressions of 007: First Light and Star Fox, and we sift through the recent game announcements to discuss the likes of Crazy Taxi World Tour, Rayman Legends: (didn't need to be) Retold and a new Cassette Beasts?! Plus, we have our first ever listener-submitted Incoming Indie, and we find out about magpie funerals! Remember, one in eight of every download of this episode is imbued with Chaos Emerald energy..! Incoming Indie: Nova Swarm (https://store.steampowered.com/app/4765070/Nova_Swarm/) @PodEmUp | [email protected] | podemup.live

This month we're playing a delightful metroidvania called Ufouria: The Saga for the NES. Yes, that's right, the NES! "Where's the NES??"... is what 40-50 year old Americans constantly shout at us, in regard to its lack of appearance on our British podcast. Well, finally, you've got it! We're doing an NES game... that wasn't released in America. If that doesn't tickle your fancy, we've also got Tibbs bemoaning the exposition dump of an ending that he received upon completing Death Stranding, and Ollie has a fine time with cosy new train game, A Bumpy Road. We also discuss just what it is that Bubsy needs to do to finally turn himself into a success. Plus, there's a new Neo Geo console, a new Star Fox game, and we catch up with the Stop Killing Games campaign (insightful comments about which include "they're probably doing good stuff"). We also discover the fate of Ollie's Gordon the Gopher puppet, and Tibbs tells us about his run-in with a mysterious gravity-defying spider. @PodEmUp | [email protected] | podemup.live

We return to the Mario/Wario Land series as we take a look at Wario Land II for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Genius game design or unnecessarily annoying? You'll have to listen to find out! Elsewhere, we answer the burning questions: What's up with that baby in Death Stranding? Can an Xbox controller mount a hacked Switch? How was the Mario Galaxy movie? How is ScreenBound 5-dimensional? Who buys a game from a streaming service anyway? And why were there so many dodgy catchphrase animations in Catchphrase? Stay right 'til the end! Especially if you enjoy Ant and Dec's Wonky Donkey. No, that's not a euphemism. Our FOUR (count 'em!) Incoming Indies: - Pizzapocalypse 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4021890/Pizzapocalypse_2/ - ScreenBound: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805070/Screenbound/ - Dracamar: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3306480/Dracamar/ - Data Center: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4170200/Data_Center/

In this episode we're playing a lovingly hand crafted treat for the eyes in the form of Harold Halibut for Steam, GOG, PS5 and Xbox, resulting in a very interesting discussion. Elsewhere, we're picking fights with just about everyone and everything this month, from arcade ticket machines and (especially) AI, to pessimistic Panzer Dragoon fans, online fighting game fanatics and speed runners! We also find time to cover such important things as Steam Next fest, State of Play, Dead or Alive, SegaGAGA and we even drop in on our latest feature, Gardener's Corner (yes, really) to see how Tibbs is getting on with his rapidly expanding collection of spider plants! podemup.live | @PodEmUp | [email protected]

We look back fondly on the days where a company could release a fun arcade racer with a cool gimmick, without it being a boring racing sim that's bogged down with licensing agreements - it's Split/Second (aka Split/Second Velocity) in the book club, for PS3, 360 and Steam! Meanwhile, Tibbs becomes embroiled in the latest argument to grip the Sonic community, and Ollie gets similarly angry at one of Nintendo's recently announced products. Plus more Metroid Prime 4, Dome Keeper, Bzzzt, musical rollercoasters and we reveal a new feature on Pod 'em Up; Gardening Corner!... Yes, really. If you would like one of Tibbs' growing collection of spider plants, please get in touch. Also get in touch if you know how to look after a chilli plant, thanks. Incoming Indie: Big Hops - https://www.luckshotgames.com/big-hops podemup.live | [email protected] | @PodEmUp

On this final episode of 2025, we look back at Future Cop: L.A.P.D. for the PS1 - the entry in the Strike series that was never to be. Still a great game though, but how will it fare in our annual Pod 'em Up Awards, which of course is also happening in this very episode! Also in this bumper end-of-year episode, we're skirting around some sensitive issues in our analysis of those other game awards that usually happen to coincide with our own - though for some reason we also bundle into this our reviews of Animals of Farthing Wood and Babe: Pig in the City. Plus, Metroid Prime 4, Journey to the Savage Planet, Parking Garage Rally Circuit, and the surprising reveal of quite possibly the catchiest theme tune to a cartoon based on a video game of all time. @PodEmUp | [email protected] | podemup.com

Just how strange is life, anyway? Very, apparently, if you're playing 2015's excellent time travelling, episodic, narrative-driven adventure game, Life is Strange. I'll be honest, our anti-spoiler policy means that we can't fully delve into some of the more interesting aspects of this beautiful game during the normal discussion of this on the podcast. So for anyone who has already played the game in full, we've released a bonus chat, covering some of the plot twists and heart-breaking moments that we could only carefully hint at on the show. Please see this link for all the SPOILERS: https://soundcloud.com/user-557762286/life-is-strange-extra-discussion-spoilers We've got lots more lighter content too though, including a general discussion about the GTA series, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Donkey Kong Bananza and Yooka-Replaylee. Plus, Tibbs brings us the Incoming Indie this month because Ollie is too busy ranting about skill trees again. Goodnight, God bless, see you in the morning. Incoming Indie: Carpark Capital - https://www.microprose.com/games/car-park-capital/ podemup.com | PodEmUp | [email protected]

This month we're playing one of our most obscure games yet, as Tibbs reaches down deep into his pile of childhood Amiga disks, and pulls out the rarely discussed Universal Warrior - a top down shoot 'em up with an interesting robot-building slant! This episode is also packed with other trinkets to enjoy - including but not limited to: Nintendo Direct, Virtual Boy, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Halo Reach and Mario Kart World! Plus, roll some cheese, dodge some sofas and find out what happens when a Clockwork Orange meets Space Jam!! Incoming Indie: Denshattack! - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2524850/Denshattack/ @PodEmUp | [email protected] | podemup.com

Tails is going on an Adventure in the book club this month, and he's bringing all his (game) gear with him! Find out more about this curious and rarely discussed foray into the metroidvania genre, where no other Sonic the Hedgehog game has been before, or since. Plus, we do our usual Pod 'em Up appraisal of Gamescom (i.e. mostly just listing some boring new games that we're not that interested in), and we discuss Bombrush Cyberfunk, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Overcooked. If that weren't enough for you though, you're sure to enjoy Tibbs' cherry-loving mouse, Ollie's gaming game changer, and an online pun generator provides us with what is unquestionably the funniest tangent we have ever done on this podcast. Incoming Indie: TANUKI: Pon's Summer - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3218570/TANUKI_Pons_Summer/ podemup.com | [email protected] | @PodEmUp

It's another double whammy book club this month, as we discuss both the Mega Drive and arcade versions of the title that cemented Sega's love affair with the king of pop - Michael Jackson's Moonwalker! We continue the movie theme, as Tibbs plays RoboCop: Rogue City, Ollie takes a trip to the cinema to see Jurassic World: Rebirth (not a game, granted, but still worth talking about), there's more Switch 2 shenanigans in the news, Tibbs makes some squash and Ollie pulls another Chrono Trigger on us. Incoming Indie: Platypus Reclayed (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2912430/Platypus_Reclayed/) BONUS! Listen to our full discussion about the ending to Cassette Beasts (spoilers included) on SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/dhYDWQLcyKkSJhutsO podemup.com | [email protected] | @PodEmUp

This time on the book club, we're playing a game that definitely puts comedy above all else as we take a trip to the North, with 2024's hilarious indie gem, Thank Goodness You're Here! In this surreal British sitcom of a game, we'll be meeting such characters as greengrocer Rog with his massive head, Brigadier Bean Tin, and the mysterious man who passes raw sausages through holes in garden fences! We also spend a little time doing our usual incredibly thorough job of looking at the games announced at Summer Games Fest, all of which we have definitely heard of, and care about. That's for sure. Perhaps this episode is more like one of Tiny's Tom's tiny pies in terms of its length, but it's packed with laughs! podemup.com | @PodEmUp | [email protected]

Let's find out if this obscure Japanese Dreamcast release gets any love from Ollie and Tibbs.. we're playing L.O.L. Lack of Love - the life simulation game set on an alien planet in the midst of a human terraforming operation. Elsewhere in the ep, we are of course chatting about the Switch 2 and its game announcements.. and we might touch just a little on those eye-watering prices too! Plus, Tibbs reviews Croc: Legend of the Gobbos Remastered, and why aren't Spotify very happy with us at the moment? Get your designated urination buttons at the ready, and queue up for your free monthly retirement game.. it's time for Pod 'em Up 68! Incoming Indie: The Karters 2: Turbo Charged - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2269950/The_Karters_2_Turbo_Charged/ @PodEmUp | [email protected] | podemup.live

In this episode, we celebrate one of the most standout, wacky and hilarious platformers of the 16-bit era, as we take on the original Earthworm Jim for the Mega Drive! In addition, we discuss the very impressive fan-made static recompilation of Sonic Unleashed for the PC, Tomb Raider 4, 5 and 6 Remastered, some promising demos from Steam Next Fest, and more! Incoming Indies: Rad Venture's second kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/radventure/rad-venture-campaign-2 Elusive: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/abraham-cozar/elusive?ref=bmeaei podemup.live | @PodEmUp | [email protected]