Advertise on podcast: Deep Fried Gaming

Here in 2025, a notion has begun to pick up steam in many communities: video games are dying. For some, video games and gaming itself is dead. In spite of the fact that Gaming is the highest grossing form of media consumption in the United States, it is often argued that the influx of normies into the space, lazy and formulaic development that retreads well-worn ground, ham-fisted politics, and piss-poor optimization has ruined games. In today's episode, we visit Reddit, one of the internet's most respected and intellectual sites, and tackle these questions head on in order to answer the pressing modern quandary: Are Video Games Dying?

Before the Godfather, Gone with the Wind, or Don Quixote, there existed an even more renowned and influential piece of art. Though the film adaptation of Barnyard would not be released until 2006, the ideas and concepts were created in the 30s and helped move America through the Great Depression. Today, we take a look at the Pinnacle of gaming and dive into the 2006 GameCube port of Barnyard, the single best game we've had the honor of covering to date.

The past decade has not been kind to game journalism. The profession has taken a hit due to a plethora of issues ranging from skill issues and dishonest review scores to the unnecessary politicization of games and games media. Today, however, the savior of Games Journalism’s reputation has descended: Ben Sledge, and he is here to set the record straight in a piece he has entitled: It’s time to Start Trusting Video Game Journalism. Join us as we educate ourselves on why it’s the unwashed gaming masses who have had the problem, not the highly honest, prestigious, journalist class. Timestamps 0:00 - Preamble 9:15 - Introduction 12:35 - Review Roast

Episode 5 is a double feature: Superliminal and Viewfinder. Today we bring both games to the judgement table in order to dissect each for their own merits, compare them with one another, and roast theelephants that seem to be always-present in the room. We hope you enjoy our discussion of Superliminal and Viewfinder. You can email us at [email protected] or follow our Twitter(X) page at DFGpodcast.

What do you get when the chicken crosses the road? If you answered that capitalism is bad and CEOs killed it, you'd be partially right. For the second half of the answer to that question, you need to listen to the rest of todays episode. Welcome back to the Deep Fried Gaming Podcast. Today we turn our sights to one of the most insightful and cleverly done critiques of Capitalism and unchecked wealth that we have ever had the privilege of engaging with. Join us as we explore the world of Cloudpunk and the charming cast of characters that inhabit it. Gasp with us as we discover the shocking and impactful secrets of one of the most fleshed out and awe-inspiring post-capitalism hellscapes that exists in media today. Cry with us when you realize I unironically spent the last two paragraphs in egregious sarcasm. That's ok, though, because nobody reads these things anyways. Timestamps

In 2022, we covered Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. While the consensus was ultimately a mixed bag, we generally liked it and thought much of what it had to offer was at least fresh and swung for the fences with ambition and Nintendo Charm The Thousand-Year Door was released in 2004. 3 Years later, another Paper Mario game hit the shelves and proceeded to spit in the face of TTYD, the player, and gaming as a whole. Folks, meet "Super Paper Mario", the 2007 sequel to the beloved classic that does its best to be as little "paper" as possible while making a mockery of any of the Mario DNA it holds and using the word "super" in its title as nothing more than a bad punchline. Join us as we stagger our way over a game whose shortcomings make Danny Devito look lofty: Super Paper Mario. Email us questions, hate-mail, or slurs: [email protected] X: @DFGpodcast

*This episode Contains Spoilers for Death Stranding Throughout. Check Timestamps to see the severity for each section. It is highly advised you do not listen past the Act Man Review roast if you have not, but plan to play Death Stranding* In this Companion episode to our Season 3 Debut, we take one last drive by of the game start started us off: Death Stranding. This time, however, we have something a little different in our sights: The Act Man, as he is known on Youtube. With the gift of time and the convenience of Death Stranding 2 having retconned many critics opinions on the first game, we dive into The Act Man's review and commentary of the first installment as he viewed it at launch. It opens a door for us to reminisce on how far the little strandlike that could has come from its early reception. Of course, Mr Kelly will not escape unscathed with a review this colossally braindead, however. In the Second half of the episode we dig into some of the philosophy and political discourse that further surrounded the game at its launch and even today, plus answer most obvious question of them all: Is Death Stranding Pro-Life? Timestamps: 0:00 Why is The Last of Us Season 2 SO BAD?07:22 Episode Intro (Light intro Spoilers)12:49 Review Roast Start (Spoilers for many term definitions and concepts that are explained in the first 5-10 hours of gameplay) 1:03:57 Is DS *Actually* Political (Theme Spoilers and Discussion)1:16:09 Is DS Anti-Capitalist? (Theme Spoilers and Discussion)1:18:53 Is DS Pro-Life? (Heavy Endgame Spoilers)1:33:58 Wrap up and Final Thoughts

We kick off season 3 with a hefty title: Death Stranding. In 2019, the title was the first release from the freshly-formed Kojima Productions. Controversy and confusion plagued the game even from before its release. Was it nothing other than a walking sim? Why was it so bloody weird? Why didn't Sam talk? What's up with the baby in a jar? These questions and more caused the game to be panned by most critics on launch. With the release of Death Stranding 2, however, many of these same critics are either pretending they liked the original all along, or suggesting that the sequel is radically different enough to justify their love of the second installment. Join us as we discuss Death Stranding Directors Cut, its initial reception, and dig into what sets it apart from nearly every other game on the market as we begin our own journey through season 3 of the Deep Fried Gaming podcast. Timestamps: 0:00 Ric Flair and Bossman Jack 1:45 Death Stranding Intro

Episode 40 marks the end of Deep Fried Gaming's Prolonged second season. In it, we dig deep into the breakout star of 2025: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Timestamps0:00 Intro14:33 - Prologue Discussion ( Prologue Spoilers) 25:20 - Sound Design 32:35 Gameplay 40:25 - Character builds, Pictos, Luminas, Character mechanics, Combat 1:03:00 - Technical Questions and Concerns 1:09:00 - The Overworld/The Continent 1:17:00 Act 3 and Post-Game Content Concerns 1:20:50 - (Spoilers) Story Discussion (Spoilers) 2:11:20 - Final Thoughts and Wrap-up Email questions, comments, hate-mail and bombs to [email protected]

As we (slowly) approach episode 40 of DFG, we slow things down for a much more chilled out and deliberate experience: the 2021 rough like deck building game from solo developer Daniel Mullins (with help from a few others). Scrolling the steam page for this game provides a pretty clear image of what to expect: a cabin, cards, death, puzzles, and intrigue. As it turns out, there's a lot more bubbling under the surface of this experience than the developer makes known in the marketing. The game has become a smash hit by nearly all metrics and has grown into one of the cult "personality" games like Undertale that people will base entire parts of their personality off of. In this episode we discuss the game in its entirety including its gameplay, story, mechanics, twists, and its pitfalls. Primarily, however we discuss the differences between the games marketing, the reality, and the gap in expectations that could ultimately lead to disappointment or frustration for unsuspecting players.

Today's installment focuses on 2024's Children of the Sun; a frenzied but deliberate shooter that blends elements of Sniper Elite, Super Hot, and just a little Far Cry 5 . Join us as we pick apart this games mechanics, presentation, and short length. Further, we discuss the price to playtime proposition of games like this and others. How much playtime should you get per dollar spent? Is time or money the more valuable currency? What is the factor that most effects their value? Finally, is Children of the Sun a good price to playtime value? Timestamps: 0:00 Preamble and Intro 4:00 He Can Keep That In There 4:30 Children of the Sun Discussion 7:10 Audio/Visual 12:00 Gameplay/Mechanics 17:30 Leaderboard/Combo System 23:50 Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down? 27:00 How Much Playtime Should You Get From a Game? 41:40 Closing Thoughts Email: [email protected]

*DISCLAIMER: This episode is made for entertainment and critique purposes ONLY. Bullying or Harassing the Author of this article in any way is entirely unacceptable. Be an adult, listen to the podcast, and go about your day like a well-adjusted person, please.* In episode 37, we dive into another review roast. This time, surprisingly, not from Kotaku but gamesradar. Our journalist today tells the account of a fateful trip into a Warhammer store and the horrific experience that destroyed her "voracious" appetite for TTRPGS for nearly 8 years. Join us as we discuss the true meaning of the word "voracious" (and why it's the linchpin of the entire article), discuss TTRPG culture, body positivity in the community, shame, piss-poor customer service, victim blaming, misread social situations, and many more questionable topics in order to get to the bottom of today's case entitled: "was our friendly neighborhood journalist victimized by a sexist neckbeard or just a socially stunted, impatient nerd with next to no customer service skills". Original Article: gamesradar.com by Abigail Shannon Email any questions, game suggestions, comments, and hate mail to [email protected]. They might get read on the show if deemed worthy..

Today's episode focuses on 2023's game by Black Salt Games entitled "Dredge", a narrative fishing experience with unsettling undertones. Dredge adopts a charming, cartoonish artstyle, simplistic fishing gameplay and throws in a healthy dosing of mystery and horror to make the high seas a little more interesting. Today we discuss Dredge's various merits and pitfalls: its gameplay, story, music, and more. Timestamps: 0:00 Preamble Introduction 00:45 Episode Preamble 14:45 Dredge Introduced 16:30 What is Dredge: An overview 26:25 The Gameplay of Dredge 39:35 Story and Lore of Dredge (Spoilers) 45:45 Non-Spoiler Story Discussion 48:10 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up

In 2018, a ragtag squad of degenerates set out into the wilds of Bolivia for the first time without a clue of what was waiting for them. Blood-brother pacts were formed, friendships cemented, and podcasts were etched into the stones of future fate. This episode is a look back on Ghost Recon Wildlands and how it influenced us. We examine all the things that made it special at the time and to this day. We reminisce on the triumphs of flawless team work, chaos of incompetence, and all the finer details of what made both such a joy. Time stamps 0:00 Intro 6:25 Guest Introduction 8:40 WHY spend so much time in this game? 17:35 What do we dislike about the game? 32:20 Summary of Wildlands Positives and Negatives 36:00 How does Ghost Recon Breakpoint Compare? 45:00 Conclusions

Bashing into our 34th episode slot is a 2015 game from Moon Studios. Centering on a baby Night Fury and taking place in a woodland of incredible beauty, Ori and the Blind Forest is an easy sell at face value. The game was an Xbox and PC exclusive for years until a Nintendo Switch port was released in September 2019. In this episode, we take the ride through the Definitive Edition and examine the game's draws and drawbacks to uncover what makes this game such a gem. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro 3:19 - RJ has not seen How to Train Your Dragon 3 4:05 - Game Intro and Description 7:00 - General Overview and Discussion 30:35 Story Discussion (Spoilers) 40:50 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up (Spoiler Free) Email any questions, game suggestions, comments, and hate mail to [email protected].  They might get read on the show if deemed worthy.