The Punished Podcast The Punished Backlog

Ah, downloadable content, better known as DLC. It’s such a modern expectation in today’s gaming landscape that it’s an active surprise when a studio says it won’t release add-ons (no matter how badly we want it). Across games big and small, indie and giant, live service and single-player, DLC is everywhere.







But what’s the history of DLC, and how has it shaped current trends? What makes a piece of DLC worth it? When (and why) does it work, and when does it really not? Four writers from The Punished Backlog joined me to discuss these questions and much more. Join us for a DLC power-hour discussion!







The Punished Podcast Episode 9







Check out the latest episode below. A reminder that you can listen here, download the MP3 file, or catch us wherever you get your podcasts. Happy listening!















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Amanda Tien | Zack Gulinello | Allison McDaniel | Anthony Franklin II | Joe Chivers







Timestamps









* 0:00 – Episode Intro and the History of DLC







* 3:10 – Our Favorite DLC and Why They Work



* Amanda: Fallout 4: New Harbor







* Zack: Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course







* Allison: Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Happy Home Paradise







* Anthony: God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla







* Joe: Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money











* 20:56 – Skins, Cosmetic Content, and Microtransactions







* 27:00 – The Trend of Only One Big DLC







* 35:24 – How Digital Storefronts Shape Games, Expectations, Endings







* 46:52 – Games We Wish Had DLC







* 56:23 – Looking Ahead: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree







* 1:02:39 – Open Mic: Shovelware, Life = DLC, Balatro, Sports Games, ToTK







* 1:08:04 – Outro: What’re You Playing?









More Games We Discussed







Alan Wake 2, Apex Legends, Baldur’s Gate 3*, Battle Chef Brigade, Brink, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Control, Cult of the Lamb, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, Deadpool, Deathloop, Eastwards, Fallout 4: Far Harbor, Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money, Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wilds, Hades, Halo, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Madden, MarioKart 8, Marvel Snap, Mass Effect 3: Citadel**, MLB: The Show 24, NBA 2K Series, Splatoon, The Sims 1 through 4, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Stardew Valley***, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, Yakuza 0, Zoo Tycoon







* We have a href="https://punishedbacklog.

Welcome back to The Punished Podcast! In this episode of your favorite gaming podcast, we share our thoughts on 2024 thus far—including GOTY frontrunners, biggest disappointments, and more.







Later on, David walks us through the latest update for our Fantasy Gaming league. Amanda brings us home with a hot take that may or may not be absolutely scalding. Only one way to find out!







The Punished Podcast Episode 8







Check out the latest episode below. A reminder that you can listen here, download the MP3 file, or catch us wherever you get your podcasts. Happy listening!







Note: This episode was recorded on April 6, 2024.















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Sam Martinelli | David Silbert | Amanda Tien







Timestamps









* 0:00 – Intro







* 0:46 – Icebreaker: Favorite Console That Flopped?







* 5:12 – Grading 2024 (So Far)







* 16:19 – Our Current GOTY Frontrunners







* 26:34 – Biggest Disappointments of 2024 (So Far)







* 33:25 – Celebrating Women in Gaming







* 37:58 – Games We’re Looking Forward To







* 46:11 – Games We’ve Been Meaning To Try







* 50:14 – Q1 Fantasy Gaming Update







* 1:10:15 – Amanda’s Hot Take: Is the Switch 2 Coming Too Soon?







* 1:29:13 – Outro: What’re You Playing Next?









Fantasy Gaming 2024 — April Standings







































Song Credits 









* “Main Theme” (LouisF) from Balatro







* “Gongaga Region” (Mitsuto Suzuki) from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth







* “It’s Going Down Now” (Atsushi Kitajoh, Azumi Takahashi, Lotus Juice) from Persona 3 Reload

Baldur’s Gate 3 won Game of the Year at last year’s Game Awards, and for good reason. Here at The Punished Backlog, the game made many of our own Best of 2023 lists, to the point that we just had to talk about it!







On the latest episode of The Punished Podcast, we explore the game’s relationship with tabletop D&D, and discuss our favorite characters, little magical moments, strengths and weaknesses, the gorgeous Patch 5 epilogue, those wild side quests, and much, much more. 







The Punished Podcast Episode 7







As I explain in the episode’s intro, we encountered some technical and scheduling issues and had to record audio across multiple sessions. The end result? A mega, three-hour episode! If you loved playing a hundred (or more) hours of Baldur’s Gate 3, hopefully you’ll enjoy hundreds of minutes of our spoilercast discussion. 







Spoiler warning: This episode is spoiler-heavy, but this post is not in case you’d like to read the excerpts below. 







Content warning: This episode has swearing and often delves into NSFW content. 















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Amanda Tien | Joe Chivers | Kei Isobe | Ben Rashkovich 







Timestamps







By panelist: 









* Full panel – 0:00 







* Amanda, Kei, and Joe – 44:28 







* Amanda and Ben – 1:14:17







* Full panel again – 2:53:00









By topic: 









* Intro – 0:00 







* Endings – 4:58 







* Characters and Party – 9:52







* Romance (Part 1) – 29:30







* Favorite Moments and Acts – 34:00







* Lowlights – 49:20







* Companion Quests – 56:28







* The Emperor (Part 1) – 58:38







* Future of BG3 and Larian (Part 1) – 1:02:15 







* The D&D movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) – 1:13:20







* Side Quests – 1:14:20







* The Emperor (Part 2) – 1:18:52







* Romance (Part 2) – 1:21:25







* Cazador’s Palace – 1:26:48







* Early Access & Patches – 01:28:33







* Finale and Act 3 – 01:34:20







* D&D Comparisons – 01:50:00







* Replaying – 1:58:00 







* Save Scumming, Elden Ring, TOTK – 2:04:16







* Future of BG3 (Part 2) – 2:12:06







* Character Backstories – 2:20:26







* The Epilogue,

The Pokémon franchise turns 28 this month (and 25 in North America, specifically)! The Punished Podcast crew celebrates Pikachu and co. with this 90-minute episode. 







The Punished Podcast Episode 6







For episode 6 of The Punished Podcast, we chat about all things Pokémon. We discuss the strengths of the classic video game formula, reflect on our favorite ‘mon, debate innovations over the years, and share fond memories. And, of course, we had to talk about Palworld, a game that’s made news for being “Pokémon with guns.” 







Whether you’re a longtime fan of the series or a casual player, a parent or a child, you’ll find something that resonates with you in this super-Lightning-Bolt-charged episode of the podcast. 















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Amanda Tien | David Silbert | Kei Isobe | Sam Martinelli | Jason Toro







Some excerpts from our conversation:









* Kei: “Nintendo tends to struggle [with a balance between casual and hardcore players] because they make deep games which invites intense effort… Pokémon is probably the deepest turn-based competitive gaming experience out there right now. There’s so many variables. They’ve intentionally—or unintentionally—created a very, very layered and complex game. Maybe they wish they didn’t.”







* Amanda: “These are games that are ultimately–I think–designed for children, or meant to be easier. Pokémon is a game that’s can be accessible for young people as an entry point into gaming. Into battling, into more serious games. Can you level up? Can you gather and manage an inventory? Can you plan out and advance a [battle] strategy?”







* Sam: “The thing I really don’t like [in the series’ changes] is that, after Gen 2, they put a lot more effort into classic RPG storytelling. You’re not just a guy getting badges and trying to catch ’em all, but there’s also some meta plot happening. It’s not just Team Rocket. It’s some bigger deal happening. And to me, it’s never interesting. It’s never written well enough… It goes back to what we were talking about, that it’s hard to make a game that satisfies everyone.”







* David: “I accidentally released my starter into the wild, so I decided to main a Graveler and raise that to Level 100 throughout the game.”







* Jason: “I’ve been enjoying playing it with my group of fans. Palworld would be fantastic if it wasn’t for its attempts at being ‘evil.’ Palworld takes a lot of mechanics from other games…but it comes together in such a unique way that it’s pretty obvious as to why it’s so successful.”









Timestamps









* 0:00 — Intro







* 4:30 — What was your first Pokémon game?







* 8:30 — Innovations (and stagnation) in the formula...

Welcome to the first Punished Podcast of the new year! The Backlog crew is back and better than ever, and we’re excited to show you what we’ve been cooking up.







The Punished Podcast Episode 5







For episode 5 of The Punished Podcast, we’re taking a look ahead at 2024 in gaming—and running it back with our annual Fantasy Gaming draft.







Will Sam go back-to-back this year? What’s up with Hollow Knight: Silksong, and will Amanda strike out on it, yet again? Will David finally draft a decent team?







Take a listen and gauge for yourself.















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(Note: We recorded this podcast on January 6, 2024, before the releases of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, and Persona 3 Reload. This podcast also predates Microsoft’s “Direct”-like showcase, which saw Hellblade II, Avowed, and MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle all get 2024 release windows.







You’re hearing our thoughts and analysis before ANY of the above occurred—so keep that in mind while listening!)









Timestamps









* 0:00 – Intro







* 3:15 – Thoughts on 2024?







* 7:53 – Unannounced or Speculated Games You’re Anticipating?







* 13:27 – Sam Rants About George R.R. Martin







* 18:28 – 2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft: The Rules







* 22:38 – 2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft: The Draft







* 57:01 – 2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft: Vibe Check







* 59:44 – Sam’s Hall of Fame Nominee







* 1:17:15 – What Are You Currently Playing?







* 1:20:28 – Outro











David Silbert | Sam Martinelli | Amanda Tien







2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft – The Recap







Want the Sparknotes version of our Fantasy Gaming draft? Here’s a quick play-by-play:









* David — Final Fantasy VII Rebirth







* Amanda — Hades II







* Sam — Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth







* Sam — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown







* Amanda — Persona 3 Reload







* David — Dragon’s Dogma 2







* David — Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II







* Amanda — Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door







* Sam — Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024







* Sam — Princess Peach Showtime







* Amanda — Hollow Knight: Silksong







* David — Rise of the Rōnin







* David — Avowed







* Amanda — Star Wars Outlaws







* Sam — The Plucky Squire

Happy Holidays! Episode 4 of The Punished Podcast marks our final episode of the year, but fret not—we have an awesome show in store for you.







The Punished Podcast Episode 4







To close out the year, we brought five of our writers together to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2023. Which games wowed us? Which games punked us? What are we excited to play in 2024? Listen along as we tell all.







For the latter portion of the podcast, our editorial team reconvened to tally up the final scores for our 2023 Fantasy Gaming league. Despite a competitive draft (and some smart waiver wire pick-ups), in the end, there could only be one victor. Get the full play-by-play in this month’s episode.















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Timestamps









* 0:00 – Intro







* 2:03 – Grading 2023







* 11:02 – This Year’s Hidden Gems







* 18:16 – The Biggest Disappointments







* 25:00 – 2023’s Most Notable Trends







* 36:32 – Our Most Anticipated Games of 2024







* 38:14 – Fantasy Gaming 2023: The Finale







* 55:22 – The Results!







* 1:08:38 – Outro: Holiday Backlog Plans











Sam Martinelli | David Silbert | Kei Isobe | Allison McDaniel | Jason Toro







How Our Panelists Graded 2023







Allison — 4.5 out of 5









* Pros: Lots of bangers.







* Cons: Where’s Hollow Knight: Silksong? Metroid Prime 4?









David — 4 out of 5









* Pros: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Tears of the Kingdom.







* Cons: Got nothing on the goat, 2007.









Kei — 4.5 out of 5









* Pros: Huge variety of genres from a variety of developers. Global appeal.







* Cons: Lots of remakes. Didn’t have a marquee hardware launch like in 2017.









Jason — 4.5 out of 5









* Pros: Revitalization of the CRPG genre. 2D Mario games still rock.







* Cons: In a world where Breath of the Wild came before, will Tears of the Kingdom truly stand the test of time?









Sam — 4.5 out of 5









* Pros: Stellar new releases for beloved franchises: Zelda, Mario, Alan Wake, Street Fighter.







* Cons: Hard to top 1998, where Ocarina of Time, Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid, and Starcraft all pioneered their respective genres.









Sam Martinelli | David Silbert | a href="https://p...