In the book club, we play Ape Escape - the PS1 game that showed 1999 that it needed to invest in that shiny new DualShock controller, after all. Or maybe not, let's see. Plus, Nintendo goes head to head with Yuzu and.. wins, almost immediately, and Tibbs tells us about the recent Tomb Raider remastered games. We'll level with you - due to various r…

Little known Nintendo platforming hero, Starfy the starfish gets his turn in the spotlight at last this month, as we feature his underwater platforming antics in the book club - we're discussing The Legendary Starfy, for Nintendo DS. Elsewhere, Tibbs has finally given the Zelda games a proper go, having immersed himself in not one, but two of the m…

It's our (slightly belated) end of year show, and we're taking The Simpsons: Hit & Run for a spin in the book club, for GameCube, Xbox and PS2! The perfect excuse to load the show up full of Simpsons chat, quotes, clips and songs! And of course it wouldn't be an end of year show without the Pod 'em Up awards, where we hand out points to our favouri…

Time for a little Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in the book club? You'll hear no objections from us! Listen to what we had to say about the original DS game that lead to the popular courtroom franchise! Elsewhere, we've an extra chunky review of Sonic Superstars, and we also dip into the likes of Super Mario Wonder, WWE 2K23 and Alien Hominid Invasi…

This month, the book club covers the Japanese exclusive, Captain Rainbow for the Wii - A Nintendo-published game with Nintendo characters, yet it has a reputation for rude humour, swearing and inappropriate content!? Ollie and Tibbs investigate! Elsewhere, we jam pack the news section with Xbox preservation concerns and Nintendo Direct musings. We …

Baba is who? That's what we intend to find out, as we cover this 2019 indie puzzler for PC and Switch that lets you rewrite the game's rules in order to solve its fiendish puzzles! Not content with one book club pick, Tibbs basically brings another one along with him as he packs in a full blown review of the game that completely out-Pokemons Pokemo…

Hair-whipping half-genie half-belly-dancer, Shantae arrives in the book club this month, as we play the very first game in her series of popular 2D metroidvania platformers for the Game Boy Color! Our impressions of this indie darling may surprise you! Plus we look back on last month's slew of game announcements, despite E3's absence, and offer tho…

This time we're tackling a thoughtful and narrative-driven puzzle platformer, Sephonie, for PC. Also up for debate is the new Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - in which a big portion of the discussion focuses in on the important matter of why Link keeps starting adventures in his pants. Plus: Bad times for Tibbs, Into the Breach, a lovely new…

We've got a guest this month! "Pod 'em Up superfan" (that's what we call him anyway) Rik comes along for a chat, and brings to the book club the convolutedly-named "Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness". An episodic series for XBLA, PSN and PC, though we mainly cover episode 1 here. Plus we've got other matters to discus…

We're back, with a brand new logo and a bullseye of an episode for you this month! (cockney rhyming slang for fifty, innit?) Featuring pride of place is a book club double whammy, in which we play two games that are sequels to titles we've already covered on the show before! We understand the concept of Jet Set Radio Future on the Original Xbox and…

It's high time for some Saturn love on the podcast, and what better way to do that than to play Sonic Team's futuristic fire fighting action game, Burning Rangers! One of the final great games for Sega's oft-overlooked machine. Alongside that, we've got thoughts about Sports Story, X-COM, GoldenEye and of course the PS3 game that everyone in 2023 i…

It's the hardly-at-all-Christmassy Christmas Special of Pod 'em Up! We assess the self-destructive habits of unlikely 3D platforming hero Voodoo Vince, from the original Xbox (now also on PC and Xbox One), plus we review Sonic Frontiers and Ollie ruins the Pod 'em Up awards with his terrible vote counting abilities! But at least you finally get to …

This month, we're going on about Skyblazer - never heard of it? Good, sit yourself down and find out if we recommend this infrequently-discussed SNES platformer! Plus, there's much talk about Grapple Dog and the recent Mortal Kombat games, we offer our impressions on the Mario movie trailer after verbally dancing on the grave of Google Stadia, and …

We've got a real cracker in the book club this month - the silky smooth adventuring of 2022's highly acclaimed cat 'em up: Stray, for PS4/5 and PC. Does it deserve the high praise it's been getting? We find out! Plus, Ollie went to EGX in London for a go or two on Sonic Frontiers, and he brings back hands-on impressions of some great indies to watc…

This month we're getting jiggy with Banjo-Kazooie, Ollie's childhood favourite collect-a-thon 3D platformer for the N64 and Xbox consoles! Also, Tibbs delivers an impromptu review of Biomutant, and encourages Ollie to undertake a new career in video game journalism. Mainly though, we're talking about the bear and the bird, so come and join us, the …

You've come for brains.. we'll give you.. bullets! .. We'll also give you a look at the superbly funny, irreverent and very foul-mouthed on-rails shooter, House of the Dead: Overkill for the Nintendo Wii! (adults only for that section please!). However, this is one dense fruitcake of a show, as we also review Sonic Origins and preview Sonic Frontie…

Ollie and Tibbs play and discuss one of the most recent Nintendo Switch exclusives - Kirby and the Forgotten Land. You already know it's brilliant, but we tell you exactly why! If you've already completed the game, you might like to follow up this episode with a bonus 10 minute discussion about the ending and some of the post-credits content: https…

Do you smell what we're cooking? Because it's time to play the game(s) in our wrestling special! We've got a double book club this month in the shape of WWF No Mercy for the N64, and Fire Pro Wrestling World for PC/PS4! Are they the bottom line in wrestling games, just mid-carders, or a pair of jabroni jobbers? (ok, I'll stop). We also reminisce ab…

A fully powered up episode if ever there was one - this month we've got Power Diggerz (aka Power Shovel) in the book club - a slightly obscure PS1 arcade/party game that has you saving turtles and dishing out curry with nothing but a full blown excavator! We'll find out if it's any good. Plus, it's another magazine feature! This time we're looking …

It's a new year of Pod 'em Up, and in the book club, we have a classic game from our childhoods - Micro Machines '96 on the Sega Mega Drive! We also discuss the series in general, so should be a great listen for fans. Plus, Tibbs just wants to play Rock Band, Ollie wants to know what an NFT is, and we both want to know why the hell Google Podcasts …

No One Can Stop Mr Domino on PS1 is the book club game for this final episode of 2021, and as it's the last of the year, we're also doing our annual celebration of all the games we've been playing, in the Pod 'em Up Awards! The competition is really fierce this year, as we've played some cracking games in '21, so make sure you check it out and see …

Treasure's N64 2D platformer, Mischief Makers is up for discussion in the book club this month! Hidden gem, rough diamond or.. a cubic zirconia..? We come away with at least two of these opinions. Plus, we talk about the return of Games Master, Tibbs plays his own personal round of "name that game" (hint: it's not Yoshi's Cookie), we talk a bit abo…

The Lemmings series is very much in the spotlight this month, as we look at three games from the series: The original Amiga versions of Lemmings and Lemmings 2: The Tribes, plus we take a very baffled look at the approach taken by the more recent mobile version of Lemmings. It's not all about tiny suicidal creatures though, we've also got a Nintend…

After a short break, we're back to our normal format with a bang! We're looking at the excellent Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap for Game Boy Advance! It's Tibbs' first go on a Zelda, and we also approach the series in general from this angle, so anyone also looking to get into the series might do well to listen! Elsewhere, we've been playing embar…

We complete our look at 30 years of Sonic the Hedgehog games and great music from said games! This time we're covering the most memorable titles from 2004 to now, finding that Sonic games went from wildly experimental (sometimes too much) to wildly nostalgic (also sometimes too much), but they never failed to be interesting, and never failed to off…

It's the 30th anniversary of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game! We're celebrating with a pair of special episodes in which we discuss 30 different Sonic games (or thereabouts..) from his 30 years, plus we're playing 30 different music tracks, one representing each game discussed! Part 1 covers years 1991 - 2003 and includes games such as the origin…

Probably our most obscure game yet, Japanese-only PS2 game, Poinie's Poin is in the book club this month! A colourful 3D adventure platformer with funny, charming characters and an even funnier English translation! We also share thoughts on the recent Sonic Central livestream, plus Ghosts of Tsushima, Dishonoured, and we find ourselves squinting at…

In this episode, we essentially play a music album.. It's Sayonara Wild Hearts! An indie game for modern consoles that sets sublimely smooth, quick reflex, score attack gameplay to a truly immersive soundtrack. Plus, Ollie's played Balan Wonderworld and still doesn't understand why he's the only one who likes it, and Tibbs reveals The Rock's unique…

Put the kids to bed, it's an adults-only video game book club this month, as we look at the racy and outrageous zombie chainsaw-em-up, Lollipop Chainsaw for the 360 and PS3! Speaking of PS3, we're also talking about a potentially devastating problem for the preservation of the most recent PlayStations, Ollie fails to adequately explain the battle s…

Everyone's talkin' 'bout Bugsnax! And so are we! This PS4/5/PC first person puzzler/RPG starring the Bugsnax and their surprisingly emotional consumers, the Grumpuses, features in our video game book club! Plus, Nintendo Direct, Xbox GoldenEye, and why you're wrong about the Balan Wonderworld demo! We carried on discussing Bugsnax's ending after th…

It's a new year of Pod 'em Up, and we somehow get a full length episode out of our fun-but-simple book club game: Walker for the Amiga! If you're not into shooting bad guys with a massive mech, we've also got the recently discovered Sonic 1 prototype up for discussion, there's a lovely Incoming Indie this month, and Tibbs is frustrated with Crash B…

In this vaguely Christmassy episode, we attempt to settle one of the age old 16 bit rivalries, argued over since 1993 - which Aladdin is better? Mega Drive or SNES? Will we even come to a consensus? Plus, there's even more favourites to be picked later in the show, as it's the last episode of 2020, and that means it's time for the third annual Pod …

Thrills! Chills! Drama! Suspense! Romance! Family values! Back rubs! This game has it all - it's Incredible Crisis for PS1! Plus, Dark PIctures Anthology: Little Hope, SuperMash, Console Wars: the documentary, and a discussion about the recent Mario Bros Game & Watch takes us on a little trip down memory lane as we recall our favourite Tiger handhe…

It's our Halloween special! Join us as we discuss the perfect game for the occasion, Double Fine's Costume Quest! A mini RPG in which costume-clad children go door to door, fighting monsters and rescuing lost siblings. Plus, we discover why the clocks change for daylight savings, and rave reviews for the £1 pumpkin carving kit from the Co-op! Incom…

It's time for hidden gem on the GameCube, Chibi-Robo! The loveable little robot that wants everyone to be happy! It's not all roses and sunshine for NIntendo this month though, as we pick a bone with them about their recent "limited" announcements. Also discussed: New Super Lucky's Tale and Hotshot Racing, plus Mario 3D All-stars and Super Mario Br…

It's a double feature this month! On the SEGA side, we've got 32X action with Knuckles' Chaotix in the book club, but if you're more of a Nintendo fan you might enjoy our look at issue #1 of brand new unofficial Nintendo magazine, Ninty Fresh! Also join us for some general magazine chat, see if you can beat Tibbs' score in the Mario quiz, and we'll…

This month we look at 2.5D platforming innovation with Wild 9 on PS1 (Earthworm Jim's far-less-talked about younger brother)! Plus, Tibbs inadvertently drops a bomb of the F variety, while Ollie is far too tired to be in any state to record a podcast and sends his apologies for the resulting show. Grab your wangler janglers and take a wild ride wit…

The hilarious and completely nuts "roll 'em up" Katamari Damacy is discussed for your listening pleasure in the book club this month, from the PS2 but now on Switch and PC. There's also much to discuss about the PS5 reveal, teeny weeny Game Gear Micros, and fog gaming. No, we don't really know what it is either. Twitter: @PodEmUp Email: podemup@gma…

This month we look back at PS1 "panic horror" Dino Crisis, and we don't come away with the same opinion! Also on the table for discussion is the much anticipated Streets of Rage 4 and Tibbs has a change of heart on Final Fantasy VII Remake! Incoming Indie: http://thefalconeer.com Twitter: @PodEmUp Email: podemup@gmail.com Web: http://podemup.net…

We're kicking off our third year in cel-shaded style as we cover the unique skating graffiti-em-up, Jet Set Radio, for the Sega Dreamcast! We also tackle the big subjects of the day, such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Pokemon! We also might mention that virus thing that's going round too. Twitter: @PodEmUp Email: po…

We're finally back in business, with a bumper episode! We showcase a couple of stinkers this month in the book club, in the form of Rise of the Robots and Overblood. Can we find anything good to say? Plus, we belatedly crown a winner of the 2019 Pod 'em Up awards, and for good measure, throw in some discussion about Death Stranding, Dreams, Shenmue…

After a month off, we're back to talk about Driver: San Francisco! Check out XF Drive here: https://t.co/rxwRUi46P6 Visit us at www.podemup.net, on Twitter @podemup or send us emails to podemup@gmail.com.

A one-off solo episode this month that is completely different from our planned show. Instead, Ollie takes you through a selection of 50 of his favourite Mega Drive tunes, including tunes from all the main Sonics, most of the Streets of Rages, some of the Thunder Forces and a whole load more! It's Pod 'Em Up Radio, and it's on the air right now! Al…

We finally get around to playing not-so-hidden gem Metal Gear Solid for the PS1! Tibbs is already a big fan, but what did Ollie think of his first experience with this legendary stealth series? We also discuss Astrobot, Control, Shenmue II, Nintendo Direct, Aladdin/Lion King "remasters", two new Incoming Indies, and how to keep a guinea pig in your…

Cult GBA classic, Drill Dozer, is the focus of this month's episode. Plus, we discuss Super Mario Maker 2, the Nintendo Switch Lite and talk about some incoming indie titles! Sonic Studio: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Jo-LsA04_rms601MTE1lQ 198X: https://198xthegame.com (In case any one is interested..) Ollie’s Mario Maker 2 Levels: HC9-6JM-6R…

This month in the book club, it's the frenetic rail shooter sequel for the Wii, Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies (aka Star Successor)! Also on the table for discussion, Mario Maker 2, Team Racing (of both Crash and Sonic varieties), Dangerous Driving and E3, including Project Scarlett, Nintendo and FF7 remake. Exception - https://exceptiong…

This month we're filled with determination to bring you one of the finest games we've looked at so far in the book club, Undertale! An excellent, seemingly bite-sized (at first) RPG that is deceptively complex and wonderfully witty. Also in the show, we discuss Team Sonic Racing, the Sonic movie delay and the PS5. Don't forget to drop by our brand …

We revisit a Game Boy classic this episode with our book club pick, Super Mario Land 2. We also discuss the upcoming Mega-Drive Mini and give our thoughts on the rise of game streaming services like Google Stadia. Music: Athletic Theme - Super Mario Land 2 Muda Kingdom - Super Mario Land Email us at podemup@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @podemup.…

For the first time ever, we're thrilled to be joined by a special guest! Vic from console model maker, Retro Electro joins us for a fascinating chat about his new business, with the launch of his first scale model, the European Sega Mega Drive. As if that wasn't enough, he also picked the gaming book club pick this month from the very same console …

We've got a special episode this month, as we've been granted early access to one of 2019's great retro revivals, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! We've played the new game ahead of release to give you our thoughts! Plus, we precede this with a look at the rest of the series in our ToeJam & Earl retrospective! Gameplay videos of Back in the Groov…