You’ve got 11 days left to go see Alejandro González Iñárritu’s virtual-reality installation “Carne y Arena.” We saw it/did it/played it, and tell you why you should, too (if you’re anywhere near Washington, D.C.). PS: It feels great to be back! We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a p…

JJ talks about why he liked “Syndicate” more than “Origins,” while Chris begs for Discovery Modes to be retrofitted into every game in the series. Plus a dash of “God of War” (2018) and “Pillars of Eternity II.” We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT TIME, WE HOPE: “God of…

Our instant review of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” the first “Star Wars” movie to reference “Masters of Teras Kasi,” preceded by a paean to the “God of War” camera. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT TIME, WE HOPE: “God of War” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on …

Our review of Steven Spielberg’s movie *and* Ernest Cline’s book answers the question you’ve been waiting for: What if Halliday had been into walking simulators? We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT TIME, WE HOPE: “Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy” SHOW NOTES: Review u…

Unknowingly, we have undertaken a journey to become America’s hottest Annapurna Interactive podcast. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT TIME, WE HOPE: “Ready Player One” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter And on Instagram Email us …

Better late than never: We asked 25 of the smartest people we know–game developers, critics, professors of theater and history, comedy writers, political journalists, podcasters–for their favorite video game of 2017, and got 20 answers. Counting Chris and JJ, that’s 27 people and 20 video games (21 if you count an honorable mention). STARRING, in o…

The second game from Annapurna Interactive is a meditative puzzle by Jason Roberts. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Butterfly Soup” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter And on Instagram Email us at questions at sha…

The annual “Shall we watch a ‘Star Wars’ movie?” episode of the “Shall We Play a Game?” podcast. WARNING: Do not listen to more than a minute or so if you haven’t seen “The Last Jedi.” We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Gorogoa” SHOW NOTES: Review us on…

A new Game of the Year contender. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. THIS WEEK, WE HOPE: “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Gorogoa” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Email us at questions at shallweshow dot com Join the “…

Mike Bithell’s short interactive robot detective fiction–how’s that for a five-word phrase–is good. Plus, JJ reveals the most embarrassing/proud public place he has played his Nintendo Switch. And Chris talks about minivan radio interfaces. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge…

Alright, Der Fuhrer, it’s time for my closeup. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Subsurface Circular” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Email us at questions at shallweshow dot com Join the “Shall We Play a Game?”…

We’re about three hours in, up to the part when BJ arrives in Manhattan. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: More “Wolfenstein 2,” some “Star Wars Battlefront 2” SHOW NOTES: Chris’s New York Times review of “Wolfenstein: The New Order” Chris’s “Zombies ar…

Now when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, Mario rose and dressed himself. He bound his sandals on to his comely feet, girded his sword about his shoulder, and left his room looking like an immortal god. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOP…

Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of World 1-1. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: More “Super Mario Odyssey” SHOW NOTES: Chris’s review of “Super Mario Odyssey” in Slate Review us on i…

We’re busy with “Super Mario Odyssey” this week–which we’ll talk about on next week’s show–so we’re sharing this Patreon members-only mailbag with the wider listening public. Try it! It’s good! We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Super Mario Odyssey” SHO…

Is there joy in Fort Joy? We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: More “Divinity: Original Sin 2” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Email us at questions at shallweshow dot com Join the “Shall We Play a Game?” Steam comm…

We would rather Switch than fight. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Divinity: Original Sin 2” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Email us at questions at shallweshow dot com Join the “Shall We Play a Game?” Steam …

A divisive game divides us against ourselves. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Thimbleweed Park” — but the Patreon Game Club for October will discuss “Divinity: Original Sin 2” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter E…

Surely the only podcast on this game that delves into Shigeru Miyamoto’s reflections after the Sandy Hook massacre. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Nier: Automata” SHOW NOTES: Chris’ New York Times interview with Miyamoto Chris’ Rolling Stone intervi…

Someone liked this game. Someone else didn’t. Someone gets angry. Someone else says, “But it’s ‘Uncharted’!” We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Emai…

Steve Gaynor, the designer and writer of “Gone Home” and 2017’s “Tacoma,” talks about why “Tacoma” was so hard to make, what he learned by working with Ken Levine on “BioShock Infinite,” and whether he sees his work as part of a video-game movement. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made…

Chris and JJ agree, more or less, about Ninja Theory’s “Hellblade” and then disagree, vehemently, about Fullbright’s “Tacoma.” We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: The audio cut of Steve Gaynor’s Rolling Stone/Glixel interview SHOW NOTES: Katherine Cross’s…

Zach Gage, the designer of mobile games like “SpellTower,” “Really Bad Chess,” “Sage Solitaire,” and 2017’s “Typeshift,” talks to Chris and JJ during a live show from the Play NYC convention. Plus, JJ’s “Tacoma” mini review. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE …

Ian Dallas, the creative director of Giant Sparrow, talks about whether Molly starved to death, how he wrote a headline for The Onion that became a self-fulfilling prophecy, and why he wishes he had made an “Edith Finch” level with Weird Al Yankovic. This is an extended audio version—close to uncut—of Chris’s Rolling Stone interview with Dallas. SH…

Chris Suellentrop and guest critic Laura Hudson–a contributor to Wired, Slate, The New York Times, and more–talk about “Dream Daddy,” the dad-dating sim that hit No. 1 on Steam. We’re doing a live show at 1 p.m. on August 19 at Terminal 5 in New York as part of the Play NYC convention. If you’re in the area, come watch and say hi! We have a Patreon…

Chris Suellentrop and guest critic Chris Plante–now the culture editor of The Verge, soon to be executive editor of Polygon–talk about “Tacoma,” Fullbright’s follow-up to “Gone Home.” No spoilers! We’ll save those for when JJ returns next week. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pl…

Two divine beasts down, two more to go. Could we play this game forever? Also, some E3 ranting. We’re taking a brief hiatus for the next few weeks. See you (hear us?) in August! We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: In August: “Tacoma” and the end of “Zelda…

Is the new “Zelda” being graded on a curve? Or is JJ playing it wrong? Can you even play it wrong? Does it matter that there isn’t much of a story? Will Chris ever stop bringing up “Horizon: Zero Dawn”? We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: Even more “The L…

At last, we have new Nintendo consoles. Our playthrough of “Breath of the Wild” begins, followed by a spoilercast on the end of Arkane’s “Prey.” We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: More “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” SHOW NOTES: Support us on P…

We’re almost finished with Arkane’s “Prey.” Before we gripe about an otherwise excellent game, we answer a listener mail about our “first favorite” video games. This episode is brought to you by Eddy Boswell-Correa, a listener and Patreon supporter. Join Eddy at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledg…

We’ve explored Crew Quarters in Arkane’s still-terrific “Prey.” Chris has one quibble, but the spoilers wait until after he talks to Sofija Stefanovic, a Serbian-Australian-New-Yorker writer about her decreasingly quiet longing for a Nintendo Switch. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has mad…

Do the first eight hours or so of Arkane’s love letter to the immersive sim live up to the promise of the demo? This episode is brought to you by Troy Gilbert, our very first Patreon patron. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: More “Prey” SHOW NOTES: Supp…

Did the hourlong demo for “Prey,” Arkane’s highly referential immersive sim, sell us on playing the whole thing? Can JJ stomach the storyline in “Night in the Woods?” Can Chris get a do-over to explain why he adores “What Remains of Edith Finch”? We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a …

The second game from Giant Sparrow, and the first from Annapurna Interactive, is a virtuosic take on the walking simulator. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Night in the Woods” SHOW NOTES: Support us on Patreon Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook …

The Intercept reporter, and former Gawker writer and Valleywag editor, talks about growing up as a Dreamcast kid, playing Yakuza 0 and Persona 5, and what it was like to be in the middle of a Gamergate skirmish. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: Still m…

Ryan Avent of The Economist talks about research showing that some people may be dropping out of the workforce to play video games. Plus, JJ and Chris are still playing “Persona 5.” We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: Sam Biddle: What I Play SHOW NOTES: “…

Two video games, one old and one new, about children who navigate fantastical mental landscapes. Not to mention literal subway systems. Plus, the shortest “What I Play” in history. We have a Patreon at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: More “Persona 5” SHOW NOTES: Support u…

Can a video game do philosophy? Everything in David OReilly’s “Everything” is playable, to try to convey the perspective of, well, everything. Our review. We have a Patreon now at www.patreon.com/shallweshow! We are eternally grateful to everyone who has made a pledge. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Psychonauts,” just ’cause SHOW NOTES: Ian Bogost’s review o…

The truth is…you’re the weak, and I am the tyranny of evil men. But I’m trying, Ringo. I’m trying real hard to be Commander Shepard. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Everything” and more “Mass Effect: Andromeda” SHOW NOTES: Chris’s interview with CD Projekt Red founder Marcin Iwiński, in Glixel The post ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ appeared first on Shall We Play …

We started Nintendo’s latest masterpiece on the Wii U instead of the Switch, and then rebuilt our finicky VR setups for Epic’s free Oculus Touch shooter. Plus, what game did Chris give up for Lent? NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Mass Effect: Andromeda” SHOW NOTES: Natasha Dow Schüll’s “Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas,” recommended by Janet…

As always, we bring our listeners the hottest takes on the newest, freshest video games, which is why we just finished “The Witcher 3.” NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Robo Recall” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Email us at shallweshow at gmail Join the “Shall We Play a Game?” Steam community Follow the “Shall We Play a Game?” Steam Curat…

It’s Nintendo Switch release day! So of course we give you a smidgen of “Torment: Tides of Numenera,” a smattering of the Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards, and a smorgasbord of plans to start a membership drive. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Robo Recall,” and/or The End of “The Witcher 3” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us o…

Chris Plante, the culture editor of The Verge and a founder of Polygon, tells us why he liked “Horizon Zero Dawn.” Like Michael Jordan with the flu, JJ shows up despite his pneumonia. The post More ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ appeared first on Shall We Play a Game?.By Chris Suellentrop and JJ Sutherland

Our first-ever preview: Chris played four hours of “Horizon Zero Dawn.” Then, “Yakuza 0” and the disappearance of the medium-budget video game. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Resident Evil 7” in VR, if Chris can stop playing “Yakuza 0” SHOW NOTES: Holly Green’s tweets about crafting Tevis Thompson on the Clockwork Game Design podcast Wesley Morris on the Bil…

To prepare for the February release of “Torment: Tides of Numenera,” we’re playing “Planescape: Torment.” When we’re not playing “Yakuza 0,” that is. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: A preview of “Horizon Zero Dawn” SHOW NOTES: Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Email us at shallweshow at gmail Join the “Shall We Play a Game?” Steam community Follow the “S…

The NBC News investigative journalist talks about why he bought a PlayStation Pro, whether it’s OK to talk about “Myst” in mixed company, and what Mia Farrow thinks about “BioShock Infinite.” NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: “Planescape: Torment” SHOW NOTES: “A New Art Form May Arise From the ‘Myst,’” by Edward Rothstein in 1994 in The New York Times “The Only …

Impressions of the Nintendo Switch after playing with it during its reveal event in New York City. Plus, why does “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” put jump on the same button as “The Last Guardian”? And the first reality TV show from Shall We Studios. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: Ronan Farrow: What I Play The post Nintendo Switch appeared first on …

What was your favorite video game of 2016? We asked 23 of the smartest people we know–game designers, podcasters, YouTubers, journalists, a screenwriter, a playwright–and got 19 answers. Counting Chris and JJ, that’s 25 people and 20 games in our second annual GOTY Podcast Spectacular. Plus, intense disagreement about the merits of “The Last Guardi…

Is the first “Assassin’s Creed” movie better than the first “Assassin’s Creed” video game? Plus, what JJ is playing in VR with Oculus Touch. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: Our 2017 Game of the Year Podcast Spectacular SHOW NOTES: Chris’s Glixel interview with Respawn’s Vince Zampella Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook Email us at shallweshow at gmail Joi…

What happens when a podcast rant about Nintendo turns into a New York Times op-ed. Plus, comparing PlayStation Move and Oculus Touch while playing “I Expect You to Die,” Schell Games’ VR spy puzzler. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE: The “Assassin’s Creed” movie SHOW NOTES: Chris’s New York Times op-ed on “Super Mario Run” Review us on iTunes Like us on Facebook…