Link’s Awokening (With John Warren)

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Riley are joined by John Warren, formerly of Fanbyte and now of the just-launched VGBees. First we discuss John’s new reader and listener-supported website, which aims to provide a home to good writing about video games. The more the merrier, we say. Then we hop on the endless merry-go-round that is the question of what a game review should be, as inspired by discourse around Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. If said discourse makes you want to tear your hair out, don’t worry: You’re not alone! After that we talk about this week’s Nintendo Direct, in which the company clearly did not get the memo that the Switch is supposed to be crawling across the finish line right now; instead it announced another year of heavy hitters like Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Metroid Prime 4. Finally, we move on to Paradox’s baffling decision making around its supposed Sims killer, the now-canceled Life By You. Then we wrap things up by talking about what it’d be like to party with the loathsome Dung Eater from Elden Ring. I, for one, think it’d be a great time.   Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guest John Warren - Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude - Subscribe to Aftermath!   About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.