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Are all video game podcasts, reviews, and essays basically the same? This week we ask why games coverage keeps repeating itself and what it would take to say something new. -- 00:00 Every Game Podcast Ever 00:35 Is All Video Game Coverage the Same? 02:47 Overviews as Analysis 07:00 The Intentional Fallacy 10:57 Ocarina of Time and the Remake Discourse 13:55 The Problem With Video Game Essays 18:50 Why Are All Gaming Podcasts the Same? 22:47 A Podcast Should Be More Than Its Hosts 24:35 Going Independent Just to Make the Same Thing 28:57 Is Games Media Becoming Irrelevant? 32:31 Games Media Hasn't Adapted to the Internet 33:29 What Is a Video Game Critic Actually For? 35:24 The Problem With Games News Podcasts 37:59 Being Sad About Layoffs Is Not a Position 40:22 Cruel Optimism and the Games Industry 44:09 Longer Doesn't Mean Deeper 45:41 What Does It Mean to Closely Read a Game? 47:52 How Much Plot Summary Is Too Much? 52:37 The Worst Video Essay Writing Trend 55:36 Critical Error Royalty 56:31 Peter's Prepared Segment -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCoitk5TUppjIS1huKsraU_Q -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek

This week on Critical Error, we put gaming's greatest (and stupidest) names on trial. -- 00:00 Don't Judge a Game by Its Title 00:31 William Shakespeare Is a Hack 04:06 Donkey Kong Bananarama 08:35 Lizard's Religion 12:57 Disney's Bug-Man 2 15:32 Extremely Violent Siblings 19:13 Space Lady: Anxiety 22:26 The Universe Stops at Your House 26:03 Symbolism: Fantasy Again 30:39 Nietzsche: Washing Machine 34:12 Space Wizards: Unfortunate Situation 38:12 Pocket Monsters: Big Sky Objects 41:57 Pokémon: Alphabet Backwards 44:50 Blood-Related Adjectives 47:15 Dang It Grandpa: Gun Fun 49:28 Azure Aristocrat 52:50 Disney's 179 Days Per Person 58:46 Critical Error Nation and Patreon 01:02:11 Microfiction 01:04:17 Closing Discussion -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCoitk5TUppjIS1huKsraU_Q -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek

How long do you have to play a game before you’re allowed to have an opinion about it? We talk Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, 100-hour games, the dreaded “it gets good after 40 hours,” and why gaming culture mistakes endurance for acuity. -- 0:00 Cold Open 2:11 How do gamers relate to time? 1:00:12 PATREON THANK YOU 1:04:05 Jake's Written Piece -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCoitk5TUppjIS1huKsraU_Q -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek

Videogame reviews have become overview trailers combined with thumbs-up-or-down referendums on personal taste. We talk about what happened to interpretation, and whether criticism has taught us to stop reading games deeply. -- 0:00 Cold Open 0:30 Did Reviews Make Us Dumb? 57:33 PATREON THANK YOU 1:00:05 Jake's Written Piece -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCoitk5TUppjIS1huKsraU_Q  -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected]  | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek

Have you ever seen so many 8 out of 10 scores in your life? -- 0:00 Cold Open 1:20 Why so many 8s?! 52:39 PATREON THANK YOU 55:58 Peter's Written Piece -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek

We spend months getting hyped about video games, but then only a week really talking about them? That can't be right. PATREON Bonus episodes every week: https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership LISTEN & FOLLOW Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/ FOLLOW JAKE YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JakeSteinberg Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit FOLLOW PETER YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterspittech WRITE TO US [email protected] Subject: “Hey Jake and Peter” Critical Error is hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek.

Is "negativity" really the problem? -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on YouTube:  @JakeSteinberg  Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube:  @peterspittech  -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek --

Do you ever get the sense people are just following a script? -- 0:00 Cold Open 0:40 Intro Sequence 0:59 Podcast 47:50 THANK YOU PATREON 51:06 Jake's Pre-Written Piece (Long one this week) 1:07:36 End Screen -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCoitk5TUppjIS1huKsraU_Q -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek

ONE NINTENDO SHILL MEETS ONE NINTENDO FANBOY AND THEY FALL IN LOVE -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on YouTube: @JakeSteinberg Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: @peterspittech -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek --

ONE NINTENDO SHILL MEETS ONE NINTENDO FANBOY AND THEY FALL IN LOVE -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on YouTube: @JakeSteinberg Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: @peterspittech -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek --

SINGLE PLAYER GAMES OR MULTIPLAYER GAMES - WHICH IS SUPERIOR?! -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on YouTube: @JakeSteinberg Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: @peterspittech -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek --

An outlier review is a FAST way to get clicks and attention, right?! Don't worry, we'll generate the discourse FOR YOU. #gta6 #gaming #marvel -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on YouTube: @JakeSteinberg Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: @peterspittech -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek --

Which of these 10 games will be the BEST REVIEWED game of the year? Which will be the worst? Are we wrong about Marvel's Wolverine? Are we right about Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave? Man, we just don't know. -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on YouTube: @JakeSteinberg Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: @peterspittech -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek --

From the ALL-DIGITAL FUTURE to Xbox Layoffs we're hitting every discourse, baby! -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on YouTube: @JakeSteinberg Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: @peterspittech -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek -- 0:00 Start 0:49 SHOULD WE BE MAD AT PLAYSTATION? 15:26 CAN JOURNALISTS GET TOO EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED TO THE INDUSTRY THEY COVER? 23:31 WHAT HAS THE STATE OF VIDEOGAMES TAUGHT US ABOUT BDS? 31:52 WHICH SUPER SMASH BROTHER WOULD PERFORM BEST ON LOVE ISLAND? 37:29 GAME OF THE YEAR SO FAR? 37:37 WILL PLAYSTATION REVERSE ITS DISCLESS DECISION? 37:48 MOST ANTICIPATED 2026 GAME? 46:40 VISIT OUR PATREON!!!

We're Afraid of the PS6 and Steam Machine Because We Love Video Games Too Much -- Patreon ▸ https://www.patreon.com/c/criticalerror/membership Spotify ▸ https://open.spotify.com/show/2vBGKwB2eZu6yXEEDUYvbM?si=8c082eae408f41f4 Apple Podcasts ▸ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-error/id1831034969 -- Follow Jake on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jakenoseit Subscribe to Peter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCoitk5TUppjIS1huKsraU_Q -- Write To Us ▸ [email protected] | Use Subject "Hey Jake and Peter" -- Hosted and created by Jake Steinberg and Peter Hunt Szpytek