The Cane and Rinse videogame podcast

“To our dreams. For they alone keep us sane.” With the game having been released for over three years, and actually finished for a few months now (at the time of recording), we felt we could finally take a proper look at Cyberpunk 2077. Leon, Jay, Rich and Ryan head down to Night City's scuzzy streets[...]

“A bridge to nowhere, mon frère. Au revoir!” James, Karl, Leah, and Tony go on an intrepid adventure through the Angolan jungle and Canadian Rockies hot on the trail of everyone’s favourite Canadian can opener.It’s not often that a movie tie-in outshines its movie, but back in 2009 Raven Software seemed to achieve that with[...]

Chris O'Regan interviews Mariona Valls and Jordi Garcia of Mango Protocol about the design and development of CLeM, a comedy horror adventure game. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/sausage/TSF_Episode490.mp3   Music featured is by Pau Damià Riera and the sound track can be purchased from here:https://store.steampowered.com/app/2794370/CLeM__Original_Soundtrack/ 1. Wisdom2. Intelligence3. Loyalty The Sausage Factory 490 was edited by Chris O'Regan The Sausage[...]

“OH! DAISY DAISY” Four years since we covered Super Mario Odyssey, and 35 years after its release, it's time for Super Mario Land to get the Cane and Rinse podcast treatment. Leon, Chris Worthington, James and Leah raid the cupboards in search of enough batteries to beat the platforming plumber's first portable outing. Which isn't[...]

"I'm Sure All Of Us Here Are A Little Crazy" From the Dragon of Dojima to the Hero of Yokohama, what was old is new again. Join Brian, Karl, Leah and Rich as they examine Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Are the shifts in genre and protagonist enough to elevate this evolutionary title? http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_610.mp3   Music[...]

“These things happen the second time around.” "Version Upgrade" NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… arrived just over a decade after the original(s), promising a slicker experience and new lore to add to Yoko Taro's intricate mix. Leon, Leah (who nominated this one for the podcast having missed out on our original show back in 2014), James and[...]

“When you finally reach the wizard keep away from the fireballs streaming from his eyes.” More than a decade after his untimely death, Datasoft released this 8-bit computer game based upon the legend of Hong Kong/US martial arts movie star, Bruce Lee. Leon, Chris O'Regan and Jesse - along with contributions from the wonderful Cane[...]

“Driven by madness, they made a pact with the devil…” Leaping back over the drawbridge of doom and into the castle of mystery, we dance a do-si-do to the Rondo of Blood. Leon, Leah, Michiel, Rich(ter) and community contributors analyse and review the appeal of this cult, hipster classic, as well as taking a glance at[...]

“Suit diagnostic complete: All systems functional.” We round off our coverage of Retro Studios' Phazon trilogy with our Metroid Prime 3: Corruption deep-dive review. Leon, Brian and Leah - along with contributions from our faithful community crew - suit up and blast off to strange, new alien worlds in search of a lasting peace. With[...]

"Stupid costumes? Take that back! You... You little turd!" In the late 1990s, a swashbuckling and experimental Square released a Zelda-like action RPG based on historic samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. Why not, eh? Join Chris Worthingon, Brian, Dan and Leah as we look at whether the game (like the legend of Musashi himself) has stood the[...]

“The katamari. The Prince. Where the first rolls the second follows. Roll, roll, roll.” Cane and Rinse is on a roll this week as Ryan, Jesse, Leah, and Chris take a twenty-year trip through the history of Katamari Damacy, from the PlayStation 2 original to the PS Vita conclusion and all of the spinoffs and[...]

“Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to make something people actually want to buy?” A relatively up-to-date title for our latest podcast, and the second team selection of 2024. It's Hi-Fi Rush! Leon, Brian, Leah and Tony (who picked this game for the show) - along with contributions from the Cane and[...]

“Ain't no Mess we Can't Address!!” The first team-curated selection of the year goes to Double Fine's Stacking. Leon, Brian (who chose this one for the volume), Ryan, Tony and contributors from the Cane and Rinse community nestle into director Lee Petty's marvelous marriage of matryoshka and mystification. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_602.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1.[...]

“THEY CAME FROM THE THIRD MOON WITH ANCIENT MONSTERS.” We're back, yet again, for our thirteenth year of podcasts, and we kick off 2024 with a look at a 35 year-old arcade stunner. Leon, Chris Worthington, Michiel and Sean dash and slash their way through Capcom's coin-op of choreographed set-pieces, Strider Hiryu. Along with contributions from the[...]

“Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended.” Wrapping up another year of Cane and Rinse podcasts, we revisit Demon's Souls, this time focusing on the PlayStation launch remake from 2020, put together by Bluepoint Games. Leon, James, Rich, Tom and community contributors drift about the Nexus, boasting of builds, strats and boss[...]

“Retrieving Compliment: 'Jolly good show!'” When we covered Subset's previous game, FTL back in... wait, what? Apparently we didn't. Perhaps in the future then. Anyway, here we are with mech vs. Vek strategic manoeuvres in Subset's sophomore effort, Into the Breach. Leon, Brian, Chris O'Regan, James and community contributors wrangle robots and defy insectoid kaiju in this[...]

“At least… confront the first boss…” Seattle didn’t invent grunge or coffee shops, but it certainly popularised them. Seattle's Mega Crit didn’t invent roguelike deck builders, but… you get the idea. James, Chris O'Regan, Jesse and Leah venture ever upwards to confront the Corrupted Heart and ultimately Slay the Spire! http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_598.mp3   Music featured in[...]

"I will bury all of you" Is this really the end of Kiryu’s journey?  Well, we know it’s not, but at the time of release, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life was the final chapter in Kiryu’s story.  Join Brian, Leah and Michiel as they examine whether or not this was a fitting final chapter[...]

“Know it's not what happened but it's what I wanted.” It's the near future. The town of Norco has been driven to the brink of devastation by the Shield Corporation. Ryan, Jesse, Jon and Leah venture back home to uncover the secrets of the town, and the supernatural powers hiding within. In this issue, we[...]

“It did appear that they might be onto something but not so.” After almost thirty years of (more than) annual releases, EA Sports' FIFA series of football (soccer) games ended in 2022. Leon, Chris Worthington, Tony and a team of listeners tackle every generational leap and incremental upgrade from 16-bit Mega Drive to PS5 and[...]

“Shiny World” SEGA AM2 doubled down on an icon in 2003 when it finally released OutRun 2 into the arcades. Updates, expansions and follow-ups came - and went, thanks to elapsed licensing - but it's now been 14 years since a new game in the series was made available. Leon, Chris Worthington and Michiel celebrate Sumo[...]

“It’s enough.” It's been a while since we covered Halo 5 (check out that and our other Halo podcasts in the archive), but now it's been a couple of years since the release of its successor, so we felt it was time to review Halo Infinite. Leon, Brian, Karl, Tony and a swathe of community[...]

“May the Light of Aether shine upon you!” Our last adventure with Samus for this year as we travel back to 2004 for the GameCube sequel, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Leon, Brian, Leah and Rich - along with contributors from the Patreon and forum - revisit Retro Studios' divisive dark middle chapter of their first-person 3D trilogy. For some,[...]

“You got boost power!” When we scheduled this show, it had been over 18 years since the most recent release of a new F-Zero game. Then Nintendo threw us for a loop with the shadow-drop of the free-to-play battle royale F-Zero 99! Nevertheless, as planned, Leon, Karl and Michiel - along with contributions from our[...]

“Cheers to your mustaches!” We all know that Mario and Luigi have been on RPG adventures before, but in their first adventure on the GBA, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, it’s a whole new quest with new friends, new enemies, and all new abilities to help them save the day! Join Chris, Ryan, and Leah[...]

“By the Spires you made it!” Few would pick a game, based on a theme park experience based on a movie, to be a standout launch title for PSVR2, but is that what we got? Join Chris Worthington, Chris O’Regan, James and Karl as we look at whether ILM Immersive managed to capture some of that[...]

“DRACULA HAS REVIVED MANY TIMES.” Back on board the spooky train with the beloved action platform series, as we arrive in the 16-bit era and Super Castlevania IV. Leon, Leah, Michiel and community correspondents weigh in on this remake/'requel' of the original Akumajo Dracula. There's a lot of love for the soundtrack (except for prog/jazz[...]

“Are you all set?” From the arcades of 1993, through the console generations, we drift through every single iteration of Ridge Racer. OK, we haven't played every mobile version and pachi-slot, but Leon, Chris Worthington, Tony and community contributors have hundreds of hours of sideways thrills under their drive belts, and can't wait to reminisce.[...]

"When you hit the ground, tell 'em Nathan Zachary sent you!” A riveting tale of aerial derring-do is our focus in this podcast, as we revisit Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, twenty years on. Leon, Brian, Chis Worthington and Tony are your swashbuckling sky pirates, as we dogfight about how elegantly this one has[...]

He who makes a beast of himself removes himself from the pain of being human.” The Chinese Room had a difficult path ahead of them when they were tasked with creating a follow-up to Frictional Games’ massively successful - and massively scary - Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Does 2013’s Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs rise[...]

“Toot-Toot Sonic Warrior deep in space and time, Toot-Toot Sonic Warrior forever in your mind” Our third Sonic the Hedgehog show comes on a shiny silver plastic platter, as we alight upon Sonic CD. Leon, Tony, returning guest Dan Clark and community correspondents attempt to decipher SEGA's time warp mechanics, 3D special stages and races[...]

“There are no free lessons here.” Fore! Ryan, Jon, Sean and Jesse tee up for a bunker-chipping, birdie-flopping, caddyshacking conversation about Australian indie darling Golf Story. Does this game land cleanly on the green, or is it a bogey? This conversation will go a fairway toward answering that question. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_583.mp3   Music featured in this[...]

"Questions about whose hands might one day hold my Myst Book are unsettling to me.” After 30 years, we release Chris, James, Jesse and Jon from their exile in D’ni. As they step, blinking and nervous, into the light, they find themselves on a strange island. This wonderful place is a gateway to puzzling worlds[...]

“PULL IT OUT OF THE SKY!” Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was marketed as an opportunity for players to live out their ultimate (Dark) Jedi power fantasies. Did the game succeed? Well, it certainly did commercially, leading to a sequel just two years later. Leon, Brian, Jon and community contributors polish their holocrons in a[...]

“Goodest idea, underqualified gun man!” Colt and Juliana go head to head, life or death, day after and day and for what? Leon, Tom, Tony and Jay relive Arkane Lyon's recursive immersive sim and, with some broadly rather negative community correspondence, attempt to explain where they feel that the ambitions of "DEATHLOOP" were met, and[...]

“The Zodiac Brave Story" Following two delays (one long, one short), we can finally bring you our in-depth discussion of Final Fantasy Tactics (and The War of the Lions). Leon, Leah, Rich - and a returning Josh Garrity - have all completed this lengthy, daunting, and at times downright cruel game - and are ready to[...]

“SOMETIMES HE HIDES IN MUD.” Our fourth Shinobi series podcast sees Joe Musashi come to the end of his 16-bit era with - after a faltering start - what some consider to be the franchise's coup de grace. Leon, Chris Worthington, Jon and returning guest Dan Clark  - along with community contributors - tangle with NEO ZEED's[...]

"People like you are the reason why we have middle fingers" Should we fear death or should we embrace it? Join Brian, Jon, Rich and Tom as they explore the existential meaning of Spiritfarer, the death-centric management sim by Thunderlotus. Do the management sim aspects of this game bolster or hinder the end of life[...]

“The Belmont family has a long history of Vampire Hunters.” In our latest Castlevania show we land At Konami's second attempt at bringing the full-fat horror platformer experience to handheld in Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge. Leon, Brian, Jon, Leah and listener contributors find a slightly yet significantly upgraded protagonist - and one who can now even[...]

“Once upon a time… in a wild, wild world… there were two wolf brothers…” For brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz, the bond they share might be the only thing they can really count on when a terrible accident changes their lives forever. Join Leah, Brian, Jon and Tony as they follow the brothers’ trail all[...]

“BRAVE FOR ENTER BOSOM” Treasure's 10th release was also its first out-and-out shmup, and what an impact it made. A niche title made in small numbers on an unpopular machine (in the West at least) that became a legendary game. Leon, Chris Worthington, James and Michiel each have a different history with Radiant Silvergun from[...]

"You found a shiny medallion!" Flicky, Agony, Alfred Chicken, Dynamite Dux, Untitled Goose Game. These are just some of the titles we think of when we try to recall videogames with avian protagonists. Manchester studio Acid Nerve added another feathered hero in 2021 with the release of its Zelda-esque Death's Door. Leon, Chris O'Regan, Sean and Tony[...]

“Shall we find something to kill to cheer ourselves up?” Star Wars plus BioWare RPG sounded like manna from heaven to many of us when it was announced in 2001. Happily, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - created by a number of the same folks who had worked on the likes of Baldur's[...]

"You have died from dysentery." Well, not really, but one of your party members probably did. In this installment we cover the edutainment game The Oregon Trail.  Join Brian, Jesse, Rich and Ryan as they head west on a wagon train and discuss what makes this game effective enough to warrant a 50 year history with[...]

“IT SEEMED AS IF THE WORLD HAD RETURNED TO PEACE…” The Cane and Rinse ninjas shimmy their way across Japan and the USA taking down IP-infringing baddies (Spider-Man, Batman, Rambo, The Terminator and even Godzilla) in their third Shinobi series podcast. Leon, Chris Worthington, Michiel and returning guest Ben Cartlidge (Video Wizards, One Credit Classics),[...]

“Lead on, adventurer. Your quest awaits!” Forty years ago our eyes were blown from their sockets as they witnessed what appeared to be Disney cartoon quality graphics arrive in the arcades. Of course, we soon found out that the reality of actually playing these LaserDisc games wasn't perhaps what we initially dreamed, yet still Rick[...]

“The fire still burns. Hope still burns.” Not such a long time after the sequel hit stores, we got the crew together to review Respawn's first movie franchise license game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Leon, Brian, James and Karl have all wanted to be Jedis (or possibly Sith) to some extent, so did this[...]

“Why, if it isn’t my old pal Luigi! Or is it Baby Luigi? I can’t tell the difference.” This week, the Cane and Rinse podcast journeys back to the Year of Luigi to cover a sequel twelve years in the making - Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, also known as Luigi's Mansion 2 on the Nintendo[...]

"Could I survive long enough to escape?" The Game Boy Advance game library featured many renowned Super Nintendo titles released on a handheld device for a newer and more portable generation. After the success of Metroid Fusion, Nintendo R&D1 opted not to port the beloved Super Metroid, choosing instead to return to 1987's Metroid from[...]

“The constant fighting between prisoners seems to be getting worse.” The game that gave its name to an industry-changing engine (or was it the engine that gave the game its name?): Unreal. Before it spun off into mainly multiplayer arenas, Unreal started life as another echelon-defining PC fps. Leon, Chris O'Regan and Jon - along[...]

“Better run home to mama now.” Another long standing 'wrong' righted, as the Cane and Rinse podcast finally covers a SEGA made Fighting game. Leon, Michiel, returning guest Dan Clark and Karl - whose pick for the show this was - team up to recall the fever dream match that was Fighters Megamix. Along with[...]

"We're here to kill chaos." Square Enix's beloved Final Fantasy series collides with hardcore action gameplay from Team Ninja, the studio famous for Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden and Nioh. Do these two styles come together like peanut butter and jelly or clash like oil and water? Join the Warriors of Light, led by host[...]

“The Force will be with you. Always.” For the first time in its 11 plus year history, Cane and Rinse covers a game based upon the popular space opera franchise, Star Wars. Leon, Chris Worthington, Tony and guest Dean Swain of The Retro Asylum podcast climb into the less than comfy X-Wing cockpit for a[...]

Our Michiel's pick for this year's Volume of shows is Konami's series of cute, comedy shmup capers, Parodius. Leon, Chris Worthington, Michiel (obviously), Ryan and community contributors debate pronunciations, contemplate nonsense and revel in the surreal ridiculousness of octopi, penguins and pigs taking on an interstellar armada of absurdity. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_561.mp3   Music featured in this[...]

"Life is like a trampoline. The lower you fall, the higher you go." Six down, two to go! The most epic Ryu ga Gotoku game yet gets its own, hefty discussion as Leon, Brian, Leah, Michiel and community correspondents tread the path of taciturn criminals with hearts of gold, as well as carving out a[...]

“Oh my… Who do we have here?” Another case of, "This game is how old already!?" as Guacamelee! turns 10 (ten). Leon, Brian, Leah, new contributor Sean Fletcher and community correspondents come together over Drinkbox's luchador-themed Metroidvania arcade adventure plus wrestling. As is the Cane and Rinse credo we discuss what we consider to be[...]

“Filthy lucre!” Not before time, a Vanillaware game finds itself under the Cane and Rinse microscope. Leon, Brian, Leah and Michiel party up in order to brawl with a D&D-inspired menagerie of monsters on their quest for the titular headwear. Along with vital contributions from form and Patreon, we of course get into the game's[...]

"Your time has come at last, dear reader." In this podcast we explore the world of Moss and its anthropomorphic inhabitants. Delving into the world created by Polyarc, Chris, Jon and Tony venture into the games' wonderfully realised series of dioramas. Please listen to find out how the trio of hosts guided Quill in her[...]

“But we don’t do things because they are easy, hm? We do them because they are profitable!” Nearly 10 years on from our previous Animal Crossing series podcast - and three years on from the release of the behemoth Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch, Cane and Rinse gathers once more around the campfire to talk towns[...]

"That's me, Ethan Thomas... Drunk, tired and pissed off." Time to tackle your fears and crack some skulls in Condemned 2: Bloodshot.  Join Brian, Jon, Leah and Tony as they examine the 2008 release, discussing whether or not time has been kind to this survival horror title. Is this elusive game worth your time to[...]

"SHOOT ALL NINJAS!” Continuing our coverage of SEGA's side-scrolling ninja series, Shinobi, we arrive at the second instalment - Shadow Dancer. This time he's brought his dog. And he's a Very Good Boy. Leon, Chris W. and Rich also compare and contrast the original arcade Shadow Dancer with its later Mega Drive adaptation, subtitled The[...]

“No-one cares about your love life, Marker Boy.” More than 11 years since we covered the original Dead Space and its first sequel, a different Cane and Rinse panel convenes to consider its less well-received trilogy concluder. Leon, Karl and Leah suit up for solo and co-op conversation, gameplay discussion and debate around the game's[...]

"You should not go outside without a hat on a cold day like this" In which we explore Simogo's 2013 metatextual point and click adventure, Year Walk. Burying themselves in Scandi folklore, Leon, Brian, Ryan and Thomas set out into the dark woods, cold and hungry, in a bid to know their futures. Listen in[...]

“Someone once told me learning is like a spiral staircase. The higher you go, the more you come around to the same challenges. But you’re at a higher level with them.” We kick off our twelfth volume of podcasts with an exploration of the absurd and jazzy worlds of musician and game developer Cosmo D.[...]

“You're gonna have a great time this summer!” So we arrive at the conclusion of yet another mighty Volume of the Cane and Rinse videogames discussion podcast. In a change to our originally scheduled programme, we decided to give ourselves an easier time at the close of the year by taking on A Short Hike. Leon, James,[...]

Just another day at the end of the world, chatting up demons, eating magic worms, and exploring labyrinths… so many labyrinths. Join Leah, Brian, Josh and Rich as they explore the apocalypse with the first game in Atlus’ long-running SMT series: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_549.mp3   Music featured in this issue: 1. Normal[...]

“The Belmont family has a long history of fighting evil.” Whether it's the third, fifth, sixth or even seventh instalment in the series, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (Akumajo Densetsu) was the epic culmination of its Famicom/NES trilogy. Leon, Jon, Michiel and returning guest Ben Cartlidge of One Credit Classics thrash out what it takes to[...]

"I Have To Finish What They Started." A shiny, new Spider-Man for a shiny, new console. Two years after his mentor thwipped onto the scene, demolishing PlayStation sales records, and sparking a new Marvel Games era, it’s time for Miles Morales to step into the limelight. Will the young protegé swing into our hearts or[...]

"I am Astro Bot" From Playroom to the PS5, it's time to talk about Astrobot. Join Brian, Jesse and Karl as they navigate virtual reality and the PS5 to discuss Astrobot: Rescue Mission and Astro's Playroom. Does Sony have a mascot in the making?  Let's discuss. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_546.mp3   Music featured in this issue: 1. 12[...]

"Welcome to Nintendo Land!" The park is open! Ryan, Michiel and Jesse have their tickets to Nintendo Land, the Wii U's bundled-in launch title, and all of its charming minigames. As Nintendo's first step into a console generation that would prove to be more challenging for the company than the immensely successful Wii generation it[...]

“Welcome to the Real World” The 32-bit SEGA Saturn is the subject of our latest single platform special. Leon, Chris, Karl, Michiel and community correspondents share their experiences, opinions and memories of SEGA's penultimate console. As usual we dive into the machine's technical achievements and shortcomings, as well as its accessories, peripherals and - of[...]

“Then, someone found a cure.” Metroid 4. Or Metroid IV. Coming off the back of Wario Land 4, Nintendo R&D 1's crack team set about writing a direct sequel to Super Metroid, but also a title set much later in the timeline, serving eventually as a prequel to Metroid Dread. Leon, Brian, Leah, Rich and[...]

"Well, have you fallen for me yet?" The team tackles Lost Odyssey, the 2007 JRPG from the mind of Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, that found it's home on Xbox 360. Karl, Jon, Leah and Tony are your team for this issue to discuss their histories and experiences with the game[...]

“A dragon ought to know it is unwise to rile a cat.” As you'll hear in this podcast, the history of this one goes way back to 2004, yet it wasn't until 2017 that we finally got to play Team Ninja's action RPG, Nioh. Leon, Leah, Rich, Ryan and community correspondents discuss the game's notorious[...]

“Don’t just sit there and waste your precious time.” Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is 30 (thirty). Leon, Karl, Tony, guest Jamie Smith (Principal Game Designer at Sumo Digital) and community correspondents Spin Dash through both 8 and 16-bit versions of the first Sonic sequel. SEGA's US-based Technical Institute took the reins on the Mega Drive/Genesis, with[...]

“DESTROY THE ENEMY NINJA GROUP” Heavily inspired by Namco's Rolling Thunder, SEGA launched its cool, ninja-based response 35 years ago, in 1987. Leon, Michiel, Rich and returning guest Ben Cartlidge shimmy to the Shinobi groove, examining AM1's walk and slice platforming action. The panel also discusses the differences between the original coin-op and the official[...]

“Here, another chapter of that history will be written.” As well as excitement, there was palpable trepidation when Nintendo announced that Metroid was going not only 3D, but also first-person - especially because it was being developed in tandem with an untested American team, Retro Studios. However, the resulting game - Metroid Prime - was[...]

"Tell me what's out there!" Josh is your host for this issue, accompanied by Brian and Leah as they discuss Capcom's 2021 release to their long-running survival horror franchise, Resident Evil Village. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_538.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1. Ripples in the Calm by Shusaku Uchiyama2. The Hag by Shusaku UchiyamaEdit by Jay Taylor You[...]

“REST” The fourth stop on our Castlevania series retrospective is the (generally maligned) first handheld incarnation, Castlevania: The Adventure. Leon, Brian, Jon, Michiel and community correspondents charge up their AA batteries for a session of this brief but punishing quest. Next up though, is M2's 'remake'/tribute (arguably in name only), Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth. a[...]

“Time bonus!” Looking back a bit further than we did in our previous SEGA arcade racer podcasts on Daytona USA and SEGA Rally, we take a look at the mighty Model 1's Virtua Racing (V.R.). Leon, Chris, Karl, Tony and community correspondents remember the sheer footprint of the arcade machine and the excitement of seeing[...]

"Release The Hypno Drones" Tom, James, Ryan and Jesse (who happens to be a former colleague of the game's creator) take a break from furiously clicking to discuss converting all matter in the universe into office stationary (from the safety of their browsers and/or smartphone apps.)  http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_535.mp3   Music featured in this issue: 1. Riversong[...]

“Don’t be a tuna head!” The creepy comedy tale of Maniac Mansion comprises the origin stories of point and click graphic adventures, cut-scenes in videogames and a talented young creative by the name of Ron Gilbert. Leon, Jesse and Jon GameFAQ and save-SCUMM their way through Lucasfilm Games' freewheeling, freeform early adventure with its many[...]

A great slam and then some! Perfectly tuned or punishingly difficult? Join Brian, James and Ryan as they dodge, dash, and dive their way through Cuphead, 2017's stylish boss rush title from Studio MDHR.  The hosts, along with correspondents, examine what works, what doesn't,  and what made this game stand out for so many. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_533.mp3[...]

“The Olympians have all grown soft… would you not agree?” There is no escape for James, Leah, and Rich, but with Hermes’ help they can still get the message out. Supergiant Games took a risk with their fourth game, a roguelike that spent nearly two years in early access. Will the journey out of Hades[...]

“Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God.” Here comes the medium-jumping sequel that was 15 years in the making, reuniting a cast of James, Jon, Leah, Ryan and Chow Yun Fat. Get ready for a Hard Boiled treat, from Midway and the master of balletic[...]

“Everyone go do their own thing, and we’ll reconvene here.” We're up to the fifth show in our mainline Yakuza series of podcasts, which, therefore, is all about Yakuza 4. Because we started with 0, you see? Anyway, Leon, Brian, Leah, Michiel and community correspondents share their thoughts on this change of direction for the[...]

“Prime core fully seated.” Our second PlatinumGames joint of the year, comes in the form of 2019 Switch exclusive Astral Chain. In a sense - as regards to gameplay if not aesthetic - something of a spiritual successor to The Wonderful 101, with its twin-stick, dual character centrepiece. Leon, Josh, Leah and community correspondents wrap[...]

“Where'd you learn how to make pancakes?” A long-awaited podcast sequel for a long-awaited game sequel, in the year 2022 we re-enter Tim Schafer's mind in order to analyse Double Fine's Psychonauts 2. Leon, Leah, Tony, guest Peter Scheffer (@retrogamepapa) and community correspondents intern in the psychonauts programme. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_528.mp3   Music from Psychonauts 2 featured[...]

“This is no place for a horse.” Almost a decade after we covered the original Darksiders, the Cane and Rinse panel reconvenes to review the sequel. Leon, Brian, Josh, Leah and community correspondents compare the experiences with Vigil's lootier second outing, through the lenses of both 2012 and 2022. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_527.mp3   Music featured in this[...]

“None of us were there when it happened.” With some delay, we bring you our podcast about the Hungarian/Japanese developed shoot 'em up, Sine Mora. Originally a 2012 Xbox Live Arcade title, but since ported to multiple formats, this supergroup developer mashup with an Akira Yamaoka soundtrack is a game that pleased mainstream game reviewers[...]

"WINNER!" Welcome to the Blunderdome! Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout brought candy-coloured fun into millions of homes during the darkest hours of the COVID pandemic, and has since enjoyed an Epic, free-for-all relaunch around the time of show's recording. Join eager beans Tom, Chris, Darren and Tony as they dodge, fall, grab, dive and smash their[...]

“By the Scribes, we gather in their names. To face the Nightwings here before the flames.” In 2017 Supergiant games returned with the launch of their next game. A unique complement of high fantasy role playing game and pseudo sports simulator. Join Rich, Leah, Brian and James as Cane and Rinse makes a return to[...]

“YOUR UNENDING THIRST WILL BE YOUR ULTIMATE DOWNFALL.” Deceptively wholesome dating sim by way of visual novel, Cane and Rinse covers some less well trodden genre ground in this 'very special episode' of the podcast. Leon, Jon, Leah and guest Collin Miller go through all of the available options in Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator[...]

“What kind of family finishes building a cemetery before starting the house?” An interactive rumination on what death means to the living, is one way to describe Giant Sparrow's follow-up to The Unfinished Swan. Or, a walking simulator set in a big house is another. Leon, Brian, Leah, Tony and community correspondents follow in the Finch's footsteps[...]

“GOAL IN!” Although Taito ultimately followed up the original with some more formulaic, direct type sequels, Rainbow Islands tells the real and true Story of Bubble Bobble 2. Leon, Karl and guest Sadie Flayeh - along with correspondents from the Cane and Rinse community - muse on a more innocent time, when the deliriously cute and[...]

“You better go now or you won't have to run with your head as your third leg.” Psychokinetic superhero Jesse Faden investigates the FBC's X-Files in Remedy's Control. Leon, Brian, Karl, Leah and community contributors fling increasingly large items of furniture at one another, using only the power of their minds. We also consider how Alan[...]

"It's good to be back." The World of Assassination Trilogy redefined Hitman for a new generation. It also redefined the position of IO Interactive in the gaming industry. Join James, Brian, Rich and Ryan as they close out Cane and Rinse’s coverage of the trilogy with Hitman III. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_519.mp3   Music from Hitman III featured[...]

“You don’t have to be perfect for anyone to care about you.” Chicory is not the dog. Find out what (or whom) Chicory actually is - beyond a Zelda style 2D colouring book adventure - in our podcast. Leon, Chris, Leah and a couple of community correspondents get creative in bringing brightness back to a[...]

“Oh, you smell nice. Like mock-apples.” Our Tony's pick for the year's podcasts is The Outer Worlds. Not to be confused with Outer Wilds (Issue 500). Leon, Karl, Leah, Tony and community contributors review their experiences with Obsidian's 2019 first -person action RPG, from the creators of the original Fallout CRPG and Fallout: New Vegas.[...]

“Start your engines!” Getting on for five years since our first Super Mario Kart podcast (and five years on from the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), we finally conclude our series of shows on the venerable Mario Kart series. Leon, Darren, Ryan and community correspondents leave skid marks as they burn rubber back to[...]

“Who are you calling sweaty!?” Why settle for controlling just a single solitary hero when you can wrangle a supergroup of 100? The Wonderful 101 is PlatinumGames' answer to the question that possibly no-one was asking. Leon, Brian, Josh, Michiel and community correspondents bust out their Wii U GamePads one more time to wrap their[...]

"But hope wears all kinds of faces" Chris, James, Jesse and Jon discuss Innerspace VR's Maskmaker, in which you play as a maskmaker's apprentice, learning the magic of crafting masks to immerse yourself in this intriguing and enigmatic game. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_514.mp3   Edited by Jay Taylor You can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive[...]

"Attention. Hull failure imminent. All personnel abandon ship. Launch in 3...2...1..." For this week's issue, Tom, Ryan, Brian and Jon tackle Unknown Worlds Entertainment's open world survival action adventure, Subnautica. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_513.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1. Salutations by Simon Chylinski2. Rock it! by Simon ChylinskiEdited by Jay Taylor You can support Cane and Rinse[...]

“What about a person? Can a person be haunted?” This week, Ryan, Leah, Jon and James take the long journey home through the twilight roads and caves of Kentucky Route Zero, discussing the mysterious visions along the way. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_512.mp3   Cane and Rinse issue 512 was edited by Ryan Zhao You can support Cane and Rinse[...]

“Not so cocky anymore, are ya? Huh? Huh!?” Buy One Get One Free co-op only multi-genre adventure It Takes Two is the subject of our latest show. Team up with Leon, Darren, Ryan and returning guest Johannes Nichell - as well as community correspondents - as they dive back into the microcosmic world of Cody and[...]

“You could think of things in your mind and then make them happen.” In honour of the legendary British coder's 60th birthday, we bring you a new type of Cane and Rinse podcast focused entirely on the career and work of one single developer - Jeff Minter. Leon, Chris, Jesse, Chris Worthington (Retro Asylum) and[...]

“Born to Play” In recognition of its 20th birthday, we recall the life, library and legacy of Nintendo's noisy baby, the GameCube. Leon, Brian, Darren, Michiel and community correspondents thumb giant green buttons, pop toilet lids and clasp pencil microphones in honour of the little purple (other colours also available) box of delights. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/conspec_gamecube.mp3   This[...]

“ONE PLAYER ONLY” In the third of our current run of Castlevania series podcasts, we arrive at the 1988 arcade game, Haunted Castle. Although the title began its development as an unrelated action horror game, Konami saw the potential of cashing in on the success of the Famicom and MSX series, and so released it[...]

“If I were to move from this spot, then the four that precede me would no longer precede me.” This week, Ryan, Jesse, and Jon are joined by The Computer Game Show's Sean Bell to take a jaunty wander through the Tarot-inspired world of The Fool's Errand, a 1987 puzzle game created by an enigmatic[...]

Leon talks to returning guest, author David L. Craddock, about his forthcoming work Long Live Mortal Kombat: Round 1 - The Fatalities and Fandom of the Arcade Era - the first book in a series (hence “Round 1” in the title) about the making of and enduring passion for the Mortal Kombat franchise of videogames.[...]

“I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately…. like, is any of this for real or not?” From Destiny Islands to The End of the World, with stops at all the Disney worlds you could want in between, join Leah, Brian, Josh and Ryan (and Sora, Donald and Goofy) as they battle the darkness and save[...]

“THE LAST METROID IS IN CAPTIVITY. THE GALAXY IS AT PEACE…” All back to Zebes for the third instalment of our Metroid series of podcasts. Leon, Darren, Leah, Rich and community correspondents consider the hushed tones with which this second sequel is often spoken and consider if it is more widely renowned than it is[...]

*sigh* Bafanada! No mind to think, no will to break, no voice to cry suffering, born of God and Void... James, Jon, Josh and Tom venture into the depths of Hallownest to uncover the secrets and shocking truths behind the creation of the Hollow Knight. Join us to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Team Cherry's[...]

“Clean up your acts.” Dad-mode Kiryu comes to the fore in our fourth Ryu ga Gotoku podcast. Leon, Brian, Leah, Michiel and community correspondents head to Okinawa for orphanage antics with one of gaming's most taciturn protagonists. Find out what we made of Kazama-san's first 'HD' outing, his bromance with Rikiya and his inevitable return[...]

“Let’s attack aggressively.” Five years ago we covered the first two distinct entries in Konami's Contra series of run and gun shmups. Now, on the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the alien wars, we regroup to battle Contra Spirits, aka Contra III: The Alien Wars, aka Super Probotector: Alien Rebels. Leon, Michiel and returning guest Ben[...]

"This must be where the hospital stores its huge fires” In this record-breaking issue, Ryan Leah, Tony and James strap in to discuss almost 20 years of TT Games-created LEGO videogames. From the streets of Gotham City to the heights of a galaxy far, far away, the team discusses well over 30 games in LEGO's[...]

"I'll give you a TKO from Tokyo!" Join Brian, Michiel, Ryan and guest Ben Cartlidge as they look back over the journey of Little Mac in the Punch-Out!! series. From arcade cabinets to the Nintendo Wii, the team examines the sweet science of what makes this series stand out. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_501.mp3   Music featured in this[...]

“Oh, you launched! That’s great. Great job, you.” For our milestone 500th podcast we investigate 2019's multi award-winning critical darling, Outer Wilds - an ambitious debut title to say the least. Leon, Chris, Josh, Tom and community correspondents spin off into space, with its cavernous planets, quantum puzzles and questions on the nature of existence[...]

“RUN PROJECT 23” In the penultimate podcast of our tenth year, we mark the 30th anniversary of Eric Chahi's Another World. Leon, Chris, Karl, Tony and community contributors recall being blasted from the comfort of their swanky science bunker to the cold, dark, tentacle filled water of an alien realm, and beyond. Furthermore we talk[...]

"Here comes the Meat Train" Leah, Josh, Brian and Ryan discuss Austin Jorgensen's post-apocalyptic role-playing videogame LISA: The Painful. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_498.mp3   Music featured in this podcast: 1. Summer Love by Austin Jorgensen2. Men's Hair Club by Austin Jorgensen Cane and Rinse 498 edited by Ryan Zhao You can support Cane and Rinse and in return[...]

“If we don't all come together again, humanity will not survive.” In a genre-defying podcast, we bend at the knees and keep our backs straight in order to deliver our take on Hideo Kojima's first post-Konami game, Death Stranding. Leon, Brian, Leah and a swathe of correspondents (with wildly differing opinions), get into the loopy lore[...]

“WHAT A HORRIBLE NIGHT TO HAVE A CURSE.” The 'difficult second album' middle child of the NES Castlevania trilogy. Leon, Josh, Leah, Michiel and community contributors raise their eyebrows at the solutions to some of the puzzles made famous by the notoriously byzantine Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_496.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1. Message[...]

“Too many have suffered in these dark times. The smallest among us the most.” Moon Studios' magical Metroidvania sequel demands our attention in this follow up to our Ori and the Blind Forest show from some five years ago. Ori and the Will of the Wisps boasts sumptuous new graphics, significantly revised gameplay and a[...]

“Is it our destiny to defy destiny? It’s an interesting question.” When a beloved game is remade, there’s always the question: what will it be when it comes out... again? So many people have been asking that same question since the original Final Fantasy VII came out in 1997 that the long (long, long) awaited[...]

“It doesn't sound like civil disobedience. It's too quiet.” Regrettably late for Halloween and the game's 15th anniversary (as well as the fifth anniversary of its last-gen rerelease), we tardily tackle Capcom's zombie-infested mall simulator, Dead Rising. Leon, Jon, Karl and community contributors ruminate upon whether the notoriously bounce-offable 2006 title was in fact ahead[...]

"Come on, let's go. Body's rottin' as we speak." Tony's the host this week aided and abetted by Karl, Jon and Darren as they switch on their black lights to forensically pick over what's left of Monolith Productions' 2005 first-person survival horror Condemned: Criminal Origins http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_492.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1. Main Theme by[...]

“Wait! We're talking about the artifact here?” 25 years have passed since a fresh, if flat-face Lara Croft made her first graceful bow. Leon, Jon, Karl and community contributors swan dive into the cavernous depths of her debut adventure, the original Tomb Raider. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_491.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1. Main Theme by Nathan McCree2.[...]

“So the Galactic Federation called it’s members to an urgent conference to find a way to overcome this menace. They quickly came to one conclusion, which was unanimous and simple…give Samus Aran the order to exterminate the Metroids!” Five years after the release of Metroid, Gunpei Yakoi and the team at Nintendo R&D1 sought to[...]

“IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING.” In our latest single platform, one console podcast we cast our minds back to the mid-2000s and Sony's entry into the seventh generation. Leon, Karl, Ryan and Thomas dust off their PS3's and, along with contributions from the Cane and Rinse community, debate the strengths and weaknesses of this once highly[...]

“Oh, yeah! Mario, wahoo!” Our seventh and penultimate - at least until they make a new game - Mario Kart podcast sees us arrive at the 3DS entry. Mario Kart 7 landed a frightening 10 years ago, to great reviews and healthy sales, but what is its legacy? Leon, Darren, Leah, Michiel and community correspondents[...]

“YOU PLAYED THE GREATEST ROLE IN THIS STORY.” Recording on the day of the 35th anniversary of the game's launch in Japan, we embark upon a terrifying journey through the Akumaj? Dracula series. Leon, Josh, Leah and Ben Cartlidge (One Credit Classics and Video Wizards) - along with community correspondents - give Dracula's children of the[...]

“So we have this hostility to the external world because of the superstition, the myth, the absolutely unfounded theory that you, yourself, exist only inside your skin.” In this issue of the Cane and Rinse podcast, we cover Everything. Really no other way to say it. Ryan is joined by Jesse, Brian and Thomas to[...]

“It’s rough and coarse and it gets everywhere.” Artyom's search for the truth about the world outside Moscow picks up steam in the third of 4A Games' Metro trilogy. Leon, Josh, Leah, Tony and community contributors journey beyond the confines of the wasteland in our Metro Exodus podcast. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_486.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1.[...]

“In the beginning, the Earth was without form, and void.” While MicroProse didn't exactly break the mould with the original Civ, they certainly kept hold of the mould once it was made. Sid Meier's Civilization (30 years ago) and Sid Meier's Civilization II (five years later), offered deep and endlessly compelling yet accessible aeon-spanning strategy[...]

“NOW, YOU FOUND THE IMPORTANT MAGIC IN THE WORLD” So simple on the surface, Taito's cutesy single screen puzzle platformer, Bubble Bobble, hides abyss-like depths. Leon, Chris, Michiel and community correspondents reflect upon three and a half decades of fizzy, frothy and fun arcade action. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_484.mp3   Music featured in this issue: 1. The True[...]

“PAGE TEXT REMOVED DUE TO VIOLATION OF HYPNOSPACE LAW” Put on your Beefbrain Shield Pro. We're going back to 1999 to rediscover (2019's) bizarre retro internet mystery Hypnospace Outlaw. Counselor Ryan is joined by Josh "SquisherZ" Garrity, The Chowder Jon, and Sean "Seepage" Bell to enforce the rules of Hypnospace, track down malicious software, and[...]

“Stop Street Fighting!” It's time for SNK's team battle-focused fighter to shine in our The King of Fighters series podcast. Leon Cox is joined by Michiel ‘NOOD HOOG’ Kroder as well as KoF scenesters/players/commentators Chris ‘Hellpockets’ Fields and (recent International Video Game Hall Of Fame Inductee) Ryan ‘Prodigal Son’ Hart to review 27 years of[...]

“Eating grub, sleeping, laughing, crying. Sometimes arguing. Sounds all right!” Sometimes we cover a game that lasts barely the length of one of our podcasts, and other times we cover a JRPG like Xenoblade Chronicles. Leon, Leah and guest Ellie Rhodes (@elliejoypanic) - along with contributors from the Cane and RInse community - immerse themselves[...]

“EMERGENCY ORDER” To mark the fearless space hunter Samus Aran's 35th anniversary we embark upon what will be another long-running series of podcasts covering the Metroid games. Leon, Leah, Michiel, Rich and community contributors begin the mission with perhaps still the most desolate and daunting title in the franchise, the 1986 Famicom Disk System and Nintendo[...]

“Comedy? There's no place for comedy in a Yakuza story...” Our third Yakuza series podcast brings us up to the second title in the original series, as well as its 'extreme' 2017 remake. Leon, Brian, Leah, Michiel and community contributors unpick and unpack this third-person crime fiction melodrama absurdist romance/bromance soap opera RPG brawler - with[...]

“A storm is coming” On its one year anniversary, it is time to revisit the isle of Tsushima. Brian, Leah and Ryan wax poetic about Lord Sakai's transformation into the titular Ghost, examining if Sucker Punch's open world offering lived up to the hype. Enjoy the verbal duels of the panel, with slightly fewer decapitations.[...]

“Very long, easy left, maybe.” Over jumping out of SEGA's arcade heyday comes the mighty SEGA Rally Championship. Leon, Karl, Michiel and community correspondence buckle up for a bumpy tour of the blistering original, as well as its small selection of sequels and successors. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_477.mp3   Music from SEGA Rally Championship featured in this issue:1.[...]

“You can't stop this.” One year on from its release, we take on Naughty Dog's dark and divisive sequel. Leon, Josh, Karl, Thomas and a passionate faction of community correspondents express what they loved, and what they hated, about the already much talked about The Last of Us Part II. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_476.mp3   Music featured in[...]

“YOU ARE THE MASTER NOW” We couldn't let the 25th birthday of id Software's phenomenally influential fps Quake go uncelebrated. Leon, Darren, Karl, Jesse and community correspondents rocket jump back to 1996 and nail their colours (various shades of brown) to a rusted mast. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_475.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1. The Hall of Souls[...]

“Change the System” In our latest single platform special we remember the awesome power of the Nintendo 64 during its brief but bright spell in the limelight in the mid-to-late 90s. Leon, Chris, Darren, Jay and community correspondents grapple with curious controllers, Vaseline visuals and exciting innovations, as well as taking a tour of some[...]

“How hard could it be for thieves like you to get us out of a place like this?” Of the many (many!) JRPGs on the PS1, there isn’t another one quite like Sacnoth’s predecessor to the Shadow Hearts series: Koudelka. Join Leah, Rich and Brian as they explore haunted corridors and battle feisty furniture in[...]

“SEGA” The very deserving recipient of an anniversary podcast, Sonic the Hedgehog turns 30 years old in 2021. Leon, Darren, Leah and guest John Linneman of Digital Foundry recall their formative experiences with the Blue Blur on both 16-bit and 8-bit systems, as well as the many, many conversions and emulations released since. We also[...]

"Take a bite of Duke's special pain cake!" What do you get when you take Duke Nukem 3D, add a dash of Half-Life, smother it in different engines and put it in the oven for 12 years? Duke Nukem Forever.  Come and join Darren, Brian, Leah and Tony for the return of the king as[...]

"Enviromental hazard detected" Part of Ubisoft and Red Storm Entertainment’s initial foray into the VR market, Star Trek: Bridge Crew recreated one of pop culture’s most memorable open-plan office spaces in the service of asymmetrical cooperative action. But how does it hold up four years later? Chris, Tony, Jesse, and special guest Captain Doctor James[...]

“Wait a minute! We are not going back to Misty Island! Are we?” In the years between the Crash Bandicoot trilogy and Uncharted, Naughty Dog were primarily the Jak and Daxter studio. While the series would go on to darker sequels and less successful spinoffs, it began with 3D platform open world collect 'em up[...]

"Never accept the world as it appears to be. Dare to see it for what it could be." Join Josh, Brian, Jesse and Rich as we slip into some brightly coloured spandex, use unstable sci-fi contraptions to defend our position and get angry at Josh for picking Hanzo…again. What does superhero theming and Pixar style[...]

“You are extreme, all-engulfing madness. A volatile simian nervous system, ominously new to the planet” A mystery is afoot. Ryan converses with the voices in his head; Josh, Leah, and Jon, to discover the grim political realities at the heart of 2019's CRPG classic Disco Elysium. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_468.mp3   Music featured in this issue: 1. Instrument[...]

“Of course, there's the problem of causality...” For the first time in the ten-year history of the Cane and Rinse videogame podcast, we deep-dive into a text adventure: Infocom's Trinity. Leon, Jesse, Jon and Sean Bell from The Computer Game Show use only their brains, fingers and keyboards to attempt to unravel a complex sci-fi narrative that[...]

“Bring it on!” Eight years on from our original Streets of Rage trilogy podcast, we are finally able to bring you the sequel. Daring revivalist developers Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games, under the publisher umbrella of retro specialists Dotemu, brought us the long awaited Streets of Rage 4 in 2020. Leon, Brian, Michiel and community[...]

“Go, go, go, go!” The biggest selling racing game of all time (at the time of recording), and the sixth mainline entry in Nintendo's character racing series, Mario Kart Wii. Leon, Brian, Jesse and community correspondents remember wrangling Wii Wheels and wilful wifi connectors to go karting with Miis around the world. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_465.mp3   Music[...]

“What are you thinking!?” Between an early showing and its release, transforming powerboats became personal watercraft (i.e. jet skis) and Nintendo had itself a massively upgraded sequel to US only niche Game Boy title, Wave Race. Leon, Brian, Darren, Michiel and community contributors recall just what a splash Wave Race 64 made with its debut, and how Nintendo[...]

Just as the videogame industry began to implode in North America, Milton Bradley set out to try and grab a piece of the pie by buying the rights to the Vectrex console from General Consumer Electronics. Chris, Jesse, Michiel and Dean Swain from the Retro Asylum podcast explore their experiences with the machine as well as[...]

"There is corruption here. It beckons you. Promises riches and power. So much temptation." Join Josh, Brian, James and Tom as they slink through blood-soaked alleys and jump over the sun-kissed rooftops of Karnaca. Along our journey we encounter labyrinthine city streets and puzzle box structures, an assortment of dark magic trickery and an arsenal[...]

“We were born of nightmares...” Back to the island of slumber and seashells as we return to the island of Koholint for Grezzo's Switch remakening of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Leon, Darren, Jon, Leah and community correspondents guide their chibi Links through another eight or nine diorama dungeons in a quest to reawaken[...]

"Won't you be my rotting corpse, Miss Tosaka?" Go to class, join the track team, date a pigeon. The average life of a high school student in 2187 might look fairly uneventful, but look a little closer and you’ll find that everybirdie is hiding a secret or two. Manga artist and writer, Hato Moa loves[...]

"Welcome home, great Slayer.” As the red dust continues to settle after Doomguy's latest landing, Cane and Rinse keeps pace with the mythical space marine. Leon, Brian, Darren, Josh and community contributors get to grips with the awesome arsenal, mighty moveset and diverse demons featured in 2020's frenetic DOOM Eternal. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_460.mp3   Music featured in this issue:1.[...]

“Cowabunga!” A duo of cartoon capers in this show with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989) and The Simpsons (1991). Leon, Brian, Michiel and returning guest Ben Cartlidge quarter feed (well, except Ben) their way through Konami's brace of brawlers as well as many happy memories from the ice rinks, chip shops, bowlplexes and "Frosty Putters"[...]

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” 2011: Crunch time for BioWare as EA's corporate wyvern demands a prompt sequel to the successful Dragon Age: Origins, giving the development team less than a year to make another epic RPG worthy of the studio's celebrated history. Leon, Brian, Josh, Tony and community correspondents pick the bones out[...]

“The sooner we come to terms with our mortality, the more time we can spend really living in the here-and-now.” The fecund soil of Stardew Valley is where we plant ourselves for this rustic podcast. Leon, Brian, Leah and Ryan head for the rural idyll of Pelican Town to recollect their many days spent on[...]

“This world is inhabited by creatures called Pokémon! For some people, Pokémon are pets. Others use them for fights. Myself… I study Pokémon as a profession.” 25 years after the launch of the first games, Pokémon has become a worldwide sensation, and Ryan, Charlotte, Jon, and Rich look back at the first two generations that[...]

“Hey, what do you know about that monster?” In which we do our best to keep pace with Capcom's ever-expanding Biohazard series by reviewing its most recent instalment, the 2020 remake of 1999's Resident Evil 3. Leon, Jon, Josh, Leah and community correspondents pick up where they left off with the previous Volume's Resident Evil[...]

In this interview extra podcast, author David L. Craddock returns to talk to Leon about his latest book, Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM: UFO Defense. David enjoyed access to Rebelstar, Chaos and UFO: Enemy Unknown's creator Julian Gollop and brings us tales from the series' development and origins. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/david_craddock_interview2.mp3   You can find[...]

“It's hard to believe that it's over, isn't it? Funny, how we get attached to the struggle.” Join Josh, Brian, Rich and Tony as they attempt to ascend the treacherous peaks of a mysterious mountain while also discovering a bit about themselves along the way. In this issue we discuss how a game began as[...]

“Your face. Your ass. What's the difference?”  90s throwback 80s throwback Duke Nukem is the subject of our latest podcast, as the big lunk's first foray into 3D turns 25. As well as the Mighty Foot of Duke Nukem 3D, Leon, Brian, Darren, Jon and community contributors also travel back further for a quick look[...]

"Gather 'round people, we have much to discuss" A decade after the release of Monster Hunter, Capcom set out to bring the fifth mainline game into the next generation and to finally break into the western market with Monster Hunter World and it's epic add-on content Iceborne. Join Rich, Leah, Josh and returning guest Sean[...]

"Do what you do best, man!" On the eve of the completion of the World Of Assassination trilogy, join James, Jon, Josh and Ryan as they look back at IO Interactive’s fascinating journey bringing Agent 47 back again (again). A change of ownership, publisher, and release model kept the cloned assassin on his toes, but[...]

"Live In Your World, Play In Ours." At the time of recording, 20 years after its launch, the PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling videogame console of all time. Leon, Chris, Jay, Josh and our community contributors unpick the machine's aesthetics, aspirations and add-ons, as well as unpacking its vast and powerful library of games. Welcome[...]

“I wanna be a heroControl my life's eventsI'll use my song to prove them wrongAnd make a difference” To conclude our ninth year of shows we wanted to end on a high note, figuratively at least, with a feel-good game that brought warm feelings of hope and togetherness. Little did we know when we planned the[...]

“Goodness! Look at the size of that thing!” Friendly and fun family frolics in our penultimate podcast of our ninth year, as we catch up with Super Mario Odyssey. Leon, Darren, Josh and Rich have thousands of Power Moons between them and they're ready to talk about the extreme collectathon that is Nintendo's 2017 3D mascot[...]

“Rest in peace, little chicken. It's been a bash.” Join Josh, James and Leah as we reunite with the Sparda family to remove a overgrown tree that’s threatening the local infrastructure in Red Grave City. In amongst all the combo chaining and demon juggling this series is famed for, we ask what each of the[...]

“Running... isn't... the answer...” In our second show on SEGA's multi-generational crime saga, we take a look at Yakuza Kiwami as well as look back at the PS2 original. Leon, Charlotte, Leah, Michiel and our ever-reliable community contributors consider the pros and cons of the Yakuza Kiwami incarnation compared to the sixth-gen source, as well as[...]

“RIDE FAST, EXPLORE MORE.” Join Karl, Rich and Charlotte as they venture to the Alps to tackle Ubisoft’s latest take on open world game’s design to take on a variety of challenges, from snowboarding to wing suits, rocket packs to paragliding and more in-between, Does the tried and tested Ubisoft formula work in the confines[...]

“Here we go!” The beginning of the Nintendo Dual Screen's heyday in 2005 saw the not insignificant release of a new, handheld Mario Kart. Mario Kart DS went for something of a 'back-to-basics' approach after the gimmicks and novelties of Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Leon, Darren, Leah, Michiel and our community correspondents reinflate their balloons for another[...]

“You bastards may take… exactly what I give you!” Nine years ago the good ship Cane and Rinse set sail; 443 issues later it has returned. Embark with James, Jacob, Josh, and Tom, on a mission to discover what happened to the missing crew and allocate fines accordingly. Sharpen your investigative skills with Lucas Pope’s[...]

“We're all connected in this life.” Following on from our (at the time of recording) all-encompassing Tetris show (podcast issue 270), we catch up with the two major subsequent releases in the evergreen franchise. Leon, Brian, Leah, Rich and community contributors get emotionally synaesthetic with Tetris Effect and competitive with Tetris 99 and its uncompromising battle[...]

“A spark of humanity somewhere. Always that wretched little spark.” Bleak, dystopian, depressing - and that's just 2020. It's not funny because it's true. To distract from the day-to-day misery, Leon, Jesse, Jon and Ryan enter the Hell-realm that is Cyberdreams' 1995 point and click adaptation of Harlan Ellison's grim short story from 30 years[...]

"Don't touch that dial now, we're just getting started." More than five years since the last Silent Hill issue, Ryan, Leah, Brian, and Jon trepidatiously walk the winding hallways of P.T., the playable teaser to Hideo Kojima's mysterious Silent Hills project, which was, like many of P.T.'s characters, killed by forces unknown, leaving behind only[...]

“Across the level, you will meet the Tribals.” Knee deep in the "golden era" of the Nintendo 64's lifespan, its most expert second party developer - Rare - was about unleash two brand new games unto its audience in the year 1999. One of which was Jet Force Gemini. Can Juno, Vela, Lupus (and Floyd)[...]

“Calm down.” Ready those hug buttons as Leon, Leah, Rich and Tony flick jellybeans in your general direction for our A Boy and His Blob podcast. 2D maestros WayForward took the basic outline of David Crane's bizarre NES original and created something sweet and structured for a 2009 Wii reimagining. Along with contributions from community correspondents, the panel[...]

“Sometimes the face we show to the world needs to be one of strength, despite the chaos we harbor beneath” Join Josh, Jay, Karl and Tom as we discuss the next entry in the globe and history trotting series that’s now set its sights on Ancient Greece after shaking things up in Ancient Egypt. How[...]

“All the princess’s hopes now rest on the brave youth she loves.” There's much more to the story of the original Prince of Persia than the famous fact that creator Jordan Mechner rotoscoped his little brother into the game. Leon, Chris, Jesse, Karl and some brilliant forum contributions celebrate not only that eye-popping animation, but[...]

“Jump In” In our latest free-for-all console special podcast we look at Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Leon, Jay, Tony, Jon and community contributors remember the flawed yet mighty machine’s 2005 launch through Red Ring of Death drama, Summer of Arcade celebration, 1 vs 100 hilarity and Kinect cackles. As usual among the talk of blades, chat[...]

"Time to take a little magic trip to cupcake town" Josh, James, Charlotte and Jon head to Edwards Island to join Alex and her crew of late teens to explore the spooky goings on that have materialised on the isle, while also engaging in some good old fashioned youthful melodrama. We discuss the novel approach[...]

“The other humans are approved for passage. Regretfully, you are not.” It's been more than five years since we covered a Halo title, when we covered the series thus far in the run-up to the release of this game - Halo 5: Guardians. Leon, Darren, Karl and Tony squad up once again to discuss the[...]

“We’re just another group of migrants.” Conceived after reading a 2015 article about the Syrian refugee experience, already several years into the country's civil war, Bury me, my Love tells the story of Majd and Nour Suleiman. Communicating via a messenger App, Majd hopes to help support and guide his wife as she attempts to[...]

"No problem!” Less than a decade after the French studio was founded, Ubi Soft Entertainment (as it was then), released colourful and seemingly armless character platformer Rayman onto an unsuspecting world. Leon, Jesse, Michiel, Tony and a whole bunch of nostalgic correspondents remember the fun highs and the frustrating lows of this, as it turns out,[...]

Arina’s room The Gardens Between ponders the transient nature of friendships through the lens of the ability to time travel and pull memories together from semi-abstract fragments. Leon, Chris, Jon, guest David Turner of TCGS podcast and comrades from the Cane and Rinse community unpick their own relationships with the game's brain-teasing puzzles and emotional message.[...]

You think this is a dream? Well then maybe it’s time to wake up? With a complex storyline that chronologically twists around its predecessor, Dennaton Games' Hotline Miami 2 might not be easy to follow, but at least your objectives are clear: take out your enemies by any means necessary. Check your messages, put on[...]

“Great, just great. You’re on an exciting adventure with Mario. Talk about unfair.” Scheduled for the game's 20th birthday, in this podcast we look back at the Nintendo mascot's second RPG outing, Paper Mario. Float into bed and join Leon, Darren and Leah in the Mushroom Kingdom circa 2001 for another tale of an imprisoned[...]

“Gather round all of you who would listen.” Years prior to Sony San Diego becoming the MLB: The Show studio, the team made its debut with stealth/combat title The Mark of Kri. Leon, Chris, Leah, Tony and some Cane and Rinse contributors consider the merits and innovations of this 2002 PS2 exclusive. And of course[...]

“Only when we let strangers in can we find new ways to be ourselves." If you want to be the last player standing in Shibuya’s deadliest game, you’ll need more than luck. You’ll need the skill to navigate the challenges set out for you, plus… a detailed knowledge of regional fashion trends? Join Leah, Brian[...]

“LeChuck is your schnoobums!?” Further piratical shenanigans abound as the dread ship Cane and Rinse returns to the Caribbean sea to break The Curse of Monkey Island. Leon, Charlotte, Ryan and returning guest Dan Clark investigate Monkey 3's change in authorship, tone and art, and bottled messages wash up from multiple contributors, who have a[...]

“Coo coo. (I hear you've been busy, Mario.)” Create or Play? That is the big question asked of anyone who starts a game in the Super Mario Maker series. Join Michiel, Brian, Darren and Ryan as they ponder its significance, go over the history of the Mario level editor phenomenon and attempt to put in[...]

"The End" It's been fully four decades since Dave Theurer turned his apocalyptic nightmares into an arcade game. Missile Command told a darker story than most games of the time, and thanks to its compelling, though unwinnable, gameplay, has stood the test of time as a high score competition stalwart. Leon, Jesse, Michiel, guest Dan[...]

“You don’t need a potion to win me over! You already have!" Steel thy shovel..... again! We've discussed Yacht Club Games's Shovel Knight before, but there's much more to this pixelated platformer than the original campaign. Mixing potions? Reaping souls? Getting really good at a collectible card game? We've got you covered. Join Leah, Jon[...]

“Now you're playing with power; SUPER POWER!” Everything about our latest single format special podcast is just super. Leon, Brian, Michiel and returning guest Ben Cartlidge - along with a slew of contributors from the Cane and Rinse community - remember Nintendo's initially reluctant but ultimately triumphant foray into the 16-bit market. The Super Famicom/SNES/SNEZ/Ess-Enn-Ee-Ess[...]

“How many more bones would you crush? How many lives will you destroy in pursuit of what you call justice?”  Concluding our Batman: Arkham series coverage (which stretches back many years) we arrive at - so far - Rocksteady's final game featuring the Caped Crusader. Leon, Brian, James and Thomas discuss 2015's Batman: Arkham Knight,[...]

"Through recondite arts, the Alchemists had created Shardbinders.” The fruits of substantial crowdfunding and the labour of a supergroup of game devs were harvested in 2019 with the release of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The spiritual successor to the original 'IGAvania', Castlevania: Symphony of the Night arrived to relieved fans and some critical acclaim,[...]

“Well, would you look at that?” Wrapping up our Uncharted coverage, for now at least, we end up at standalone adjunct, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Leon, Brian, Jay and Josh find themselves in an India torn apart by civil war, on the hunt for a priceless religious artefact. Fortunately they are accompanied by two butt-kicking[...]

“Shoot The Core!” The venerable side-scrolling space shoot 'em up series Gradius celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2020. Leon, Michiel, Ben Cartlidge and Dan Clark run the treacherous caverns of 1981's Scramble through to the interstellar spectacle of Gradius V with a number of punishing pitstops along the way. As always we also hear from community members[...]

"All that matters now is what we do next" What does it take to truly be a person? Is it how you were created? What makes up your physical form? How you react to the situations you find yourself in? Can it be quantified at all? Join Leah, Charlotte and Jay as they discuss David[...]

“We’re playin’... We’re playin’... We’re playin’...” Whether it’s Guitar Hero by way of Fruit Ninja or a chance to live out the Star Wars Kid fantasy, there’s no denying the wild success of Beat Saber over the past two years. James, Chris, Jacob and Ryan have collectively chopped their way through millions of blocks (mostly[...]

“Nice entrance. Solid eight out of ten... Nine out of ten.” Welcome to "Just the Facts" with J. Jonah Jameson. Alerting you to the threats you don't even know about. I've heard reports of Spider-Man hovering around Cane and Rinse towers. At first, I thought he was sabotaging them, but a far more alarming possibility[...]

“The invading Snowmads have locked Donkey Kong Island in a deep freeze, and it’s up to the Kongs to thaw things out!” Our run of podcasts on the games of Donkey Kong and his kin concludes with a review of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Arriving first in 2014 for Wii U and then receiving[...]

“We make the world what it is by what we do. All of us.” Bikers vs Zombies may sound like a late night made-for-TV movie, but when it’s a premise that gets paired with a search for reasons to survive in post-apocalyptic Oregon, you might find that the result is a story that’s more engaging[...]

"Life. Afterlife. Real. Virtual. Dream. Nightmare. It's a thin line.” Before the deluge of Metroidvania type games came Axiom Verge. Thomas Happ's intriguing alternate reality began development in 2010, eventually surfacing in 2015 to acclaim and commercial success. Leon, James, Josh, Michiel and community contributors do their best to judge the game on its own[...]

"Yeah, I know.” After his work on Monument Valley, Ken Wong scaled the heights of creating his own studio, Mountains. With the publishing expertise of Annapurna Interactive behind them, this new Melbourne studio brought to life a story of new love’s highs and lows. James, Charlotte, Jacob and Leah have lots to say about the[...]

“You come to us, like a snake in the grass, here... in a city of lies, you... are the biggest liar of all”  Techland's five million selling spiritual successor to Dead Island merges Mirror's Edge with Far Cry, Left 4 Dead and other hits to bring an ambitious, city spanning survival horror set in the[...]

“Come out and play” In our latest single format special, Leon, Chris, James and Leah review "The Walkman of the 21st Century", Sony's PlayStation Portable. Even if the PSP didn't quite reach the iconic status of its pocket cassette player, the sleek little powerhouse did last for almost a decade and shifted around 80 million[...]

“Hesitate and you lose, that is the way of war.” Can shadows die? Can they die twice? And what is a Loaded Spear actually useful for? James, Jacob, Jon and Josh try to answer these questions and more as they explore Sengoku-period Japan in FromSoftware’s action-focused love letter to Japanese folklore and shinobi games like[...]

“Let's give DK our biggest Kong-gratulations!” In our latest show on Nintendo's necktied primate, we swing back to the mid-2000s to go ape with Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Leon, Brian, Darren, Michiel and community contributors beat a path through both the original bongo-controlled GameCube version, and the remixed Wii incarnation. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_410.mp3   Music featured in[...]

“He’s a… whatchacallit. A fisting artist.” As recommended by fans of the series, we begin our Japanese organised crime odyssey at its chronological beginning - Ry? ga Gotoku 0: Chikai no Basho aka Yakuza 0. Released in 2015 and Japan and from 2017 worldwide, this is the sixth mainline entry in SEGA's long running series,[...]

"I have the shiniest meat bicycle." For this week's podcast, Jesse Fuchs makes his Cane and Rinse hosting debut with a discussion focused on Telltale Games' episodic point-and-click adventure title, Tales from the Borderlands. Joining him for this issue are Tom and Josh, along with gainful contributions from the community. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_408.mp3   Music featured in[...]

“A stranger you are... and strange looking at that!” Just before Square got into bed with Sony, their relationship with Nintendo seemed to be firing on all cylinders. The two Japanese giants teamed up in an attempt to hit big with a 16-bit RPG in the West and the result, was Super Mario RPG: Legend[...]

"Raise thy sword by the light, and head to the place where the sword's light gathers." The Cane and Rinse podcast returns to The Forbidden Lands with a thorough examination of Bluepoint's 2018 Shadow of the Colossus remake. Scale this colossal game with Ryan, Brian, Jacob and Rich, along with contributions from the Cane and[...]

“Jungle Boogie!” Nintendo wanted in on the 'BeMani' action in the early-mid 2000s, and so roped in Taiko no Tatsujin producers Namco to reskin their drumming rhythm games with a Donkey Kong flavour. Three Donkey Konga games followed in quick succession, each featuring minimal changes to anything but the lineup of songs - an eclectic[...]

"I serve no one, and I fight for everyone." In this issue, Karl, Brian, Jay and Rich travel back to Ancient Egypt to the origin of Assassin's Creed, in Ubisoft's biggest revamp of the franchise yet. Open worlds, lush vistas, vicious wildlife, the secrets of the Pyramids and more await our intrepid adventurers. As entrenched[...]

“Enough with this cat and mouse game.” After almost two decades of feverish speculation, Capcom finally brought us the remake of Resident Evil 2 that the fans craved in 2019. This comprehensive, ground-up retooling of the original boasted quality of life refinements to bring it in line with modern games, but did it recapture the[...]

“Keep your expectations low boy, and you'll never be disappointed.” A serious assessment of Sony Santa Monica's soft reboot of the successful but stagnating God of War series. Leon, Brian, Josh and a pantheon of community contributors offer their opinions and experiences, running the gamut from blasphemy to worship. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_402.mp3   Music featured in this[...]

“This whole thing is pretty much done. We're more ghosts than people.” Welcome home, pardners. The Cane and Rinse videogame podcast returns for its ninth year with an expansive examination of Red Dead Redemption II. Camp out under the stars with Leon, Jacob, Jay, Josh, Rich and sundry passers-by as they sing paeans about the[...]

“Up to 6 billion players” The latest of our single platform podcast specials focuses on SEGA's final console, the Dreamcast. Leon, Karl and guests Ben Cartlidge (One Credit Classics) and John Linneman (Digital Foundry Retro) unpick the magic from the smoke and mirrors in an attempt to understand how and why the most powerful console[...]

“My hair does not look like a chocobo butt.” In this issue, Josh, Leah, Charlotte and Tom hop into a convertible and embark on an adventure out on the open road. We'll take in the scenery, say hello to local wildlife and then share some laughs at camp over a bowl of suspiciously beautiful looking[...]

It's the end of the year, and Cane and Rinse are celebrating another year in videogaming with not one but five 2019-in-review shows of epic proportion, sharing our team's impressions from hundreds of games released in the year 2019. In Part 5, join Ryan and Chris as they talk about many of the games released[...]

It's the end of the year, and Cane and Rinse are celebrating another year in videogaming with not one but five 2019-in-review shows of epic proportion, sharing our team's impressions from hundreds of games released in the year 2019. In Part 4, join Leon, Leah and James as they talk about many of the games[...]

It's the end of the year, and Cane and Rinse is celebrating another year in videogaming with not one but five 2019-in-review shows of epic proportion, sharing our team's impressions from hundreds of games released in the year 2019. In Part 3, join Josh, Michiel, Jon, Ryan and Jacob as they talk about many of[...]

It's the end of the year, and Cane and Rinse is celebrating another year in videogaming with not one but five 2019-in-review shows of epic proportion, sharing our team's impressions from hundreds of games released in the year 2019. In Part 2, join Leah, Ryan Quintal, Brian and Karl as they talk about many of[...]

It's the end of the year, and Cane and Rinse is celebrating another year in videogaming with not one but five 2019-in-review shows of epic proportion, sharing our team's impressions from hundreds of games released in the year 2019. In Part 1, join Ryan, Thomas, Jesse and Brian as they talk about many of the[...]

“Get bananas back from the Tikis!” In our latest podcast on the bequiffed ape, we land late in the Wii era with Donkey Kong Country Returns. 16 years after DK's third outing to the Country (see podcast issue 389), Retro Studios took up the reins and attempted to wrangle the hairy simian into the 2010s.[...]

“Time is not your enemy, forever is.” A rare foray into the world of the Western CRPG for us, but 1999's Planescape: Torment ticks a lot of boxes. Leon, James, Jon and guest Sean Bell contemplate the nature of humanity and its relationship with impermanence, as well as why you shouldn't play the Switch ports[...]

“1 COIN 1 PLAY” Marking its 40th birthday, we celebrate one of Atari's most iconic, influential and successful arcade games from the so-called 'golden age': Asteroids. Leon, Jesse, Michiel and guest Dan Clark unpack the appeal of the stark space shooter, as well as spinning through its three official sequels (Asteroids Deluxe, Space Duel and[...]

“Fear… radiates from you. It's beautiful, but not yet finished.” Having sunken into a drunken stupor since the previous Tango Gameworks title, the lure of jacking back into the STEM for The Evil Within 2 is enough to rouse us from our squalor. Leon, Jacob, Leah and Michiel sneak around Union until their knees give[...]

"Hey, Been a long time, Donkey-Dude!" After the rousing success of Diddy Kong Racing and Banjo-Kazooie, it was time for Rare to step up to the plate and turn (almost) the rest of the Kong family into three-dimensional beings. Explore DK Isles for the first time in glorious 3D and admire the charisma which pours[...]

“Eight long years to bounce back here, I’ll win this time and make you cheer!” Eekum Bokum! It’s another Banjo-Kazooie adventure but this time almost everything is different. The famous Bear and Bird duo are back in the groove but also firmly in the seats of many bespoke (or pre-built) vehicles. In a rather controversial[...]

“Why are we still here? Just to suffer?” In very probably our last ever podcast on the venerable series, we finally give Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain the once-over. Leon, Charlotte, Rich and guest Maria Roberts valiantly attempt to distill down their thoughts on the troubled and sometimes troublesome denouement. There are also[...]

“There’s no such thing as a Bat Man.” Join us as we go back before City, before Asylum, before the Joker, to when Batman was but a wee pup, learning the vigilante ropes. Whilst Black Mask and 8 professional assassins are busy giving Bruce Wayne a tough time, technical issues and concerns over the change[...]

“If you only knew how satisfying that look on your face is.” Shinji Mikami brought back some of the survival and all of the horror with 2014's The Evil Within. Leon, Jacob, Leah and Michiel Psycho Break down whether Tango's grab-bag of tropes had the desired effect on their shattered minds, with community contributions and[...]

"There is no hope. Not for l'Cie." We're closing in on the final entries in our Final Fantasy series, and as the first game released on the seventh generation of consoles, Final Fantasy XIII is a significant one, for better or worse. Are the beautiful vistas of Pulse and the technological marvels of Cocoon worth[...]

"You big ape! I could hear you coming from miles away!" There's a rumble in the jungle as Ryan, Darren, Michiel, and Brian barrel their way through a trilogy consisting of 13 game releases and an animated TV series. It's Rare's Donkey Kong Country series. Roll, jump and die repeatedly as this classic platforming franchise[...]

“MISSION: DESTROY ALIENS”  October 1979 saw Namco's brash, dynamic and eye-scorchingly colourful Space Invaders spiritual successor landed with a loud bang in arcades. Leon, Michiel and guest Dan Clark recall the thrill of swooping alien robo-moths and - tracing the Galaxian series along - the power-fantasy fulfilment of double ship and even triple ship play[...]

"Only Amiga makes it possible" For the first time in our series of single format special podcasts, we reminisce about a computer, the 16, later 32-bit Commodore Amiga. Leon, Chris, Jesse and One Credit Classics' Ben Cartlidge fondly remember their beige, keyboarded wonders, and the 4000 plus odd (often pirated) floppy disks that they played[...]

Cane and Rinse embody their inner Daft Punk as we review 2009’s DJ Hero and 2010’s DJ Hero 2. Karl, Rich and returning guest Gary Blower discuss FreeStyle Games' foray into the world of plastic peripherals and musical highways. 10 years on from the original's release, the team and our community reminisce about our greatest[...]

From 30th August 2019 through to 2nd September 2019 at the Washington State Convention Centre and Cane and Rinse hosts Ryan Hamann and Chris O'Regan attended the event, both of whom are veterans of it. In this special recording Ryan and Chris chat about the experience they had at PAX West 2019 and the games[...]

“In a world without gold, we might have been heroes!” Back aboard Ubisoft's titanic franchise for a return journey to the heady times when the new generation was on the horizon. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was the first game in the series for PS4 and Xbox One, as well as the penultimate one for[...]

“They want to live inside us, like a disease.” Trapped on a 1960s space station in 2035, surrounded by homicidal crockery and are victims of a really bad case of sibling rivalry, Karl, Jon and James are surprised to find themselves the Prey of Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks. Confused? Don’t worry, the situation is[...]

Leon speaks to David L. Craddock about his new book Arcade Perfect: How Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, and Other Coin-Op Classics Invaded the Living Room. David is the bestselling author of Stay Awhile and Listen: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire - Book I, and Heritage: Book One of the Gairden Chronicles,[...]

"Promise you won't launch superhot.exe again." Time moves when you move. That might explain why James spent the first 20 minutes of this podcast recording refusing to talk or move. Thankfully, Jacob and Jon were on hand to convince him to join them in the core. Now all three of them have disappeared, and left[...]

In this Interview Extra episode, Charlotte chats to Benn Powell about the ins and outs of designing randomisers for REmake Remastered and the remake of Resident Evil 2. Is your heart's desire a dozen Lisa Trevors in your RE game, or do you yearn for nothing but a swarm of bees? The choice is yours,[...]

"Kept you waiting, huh?" Almost seven years on from our last Metal Gear Solid podcast, Leon, Jay, Karl and new member Richard Davison pick up the slack with 2014's Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. A prologue, a tech demo, an interactive commercial that you have to buy, or a terrific slice of Tactical Espionage[...]

“At least we thought to bring entertainment.”  The eleventh show in our 13 podcast series about the mainline (and non-MMO) Final Fantasy series is all about 12. Final Fantasy XII spent a (then) world record five years in development as Square Enix pushed the boat out in terms of production values and innovation - shaking[...]

“Quantum physics tells us that nothing that is observed is unaffected by the observer." First person cyberpunk noir police procedural stealth survival horror walking simulator Observer ('>observer_')  Daniel Lazarsky as he enters the minds of the murderous, and the murdered, in order to pick up the trail of his estranged son. Leon, Jacob, Jon and[...]

“You earned a perfect score!!” The Big N roped in simulation and silicon graphics specialists Paradigm to assist them with N64 launch title, Pilotwings 64. The sequel to their 1990 'amateur flight simulation' Pilotwings (itself a previous gen launch title for the SNES), Pilotwings 64 replaced Mode 7 with spectacular solid, textured polygons - but[...]

Dyad is one of those titles that defies easy genre-identification, but in essence it is a psychedelic racer/shooter - if that helps! Tony, Darren and a returning Sean O'Brien peer into the tunnel of Shawn McGrath's 2012 PSN curio, and come out the other side able to see around corners and travel at will through[...]

As the dark, eerie follow-up to Playdead's dark, eerie platformer LIMBO, 2016's INSIDE was exactly what one might expect - or was it? For a game with no dialogue, INSIDE has quite a lot to say, so join James, Thomas, Jacob, and Leah as they discuss the journey of one hunted boy, what he sees[...]

“The world is full of stories, and from time to time they permit themselves to be told.” Before Duke Nukem Forever... in fact before Duke Nukem 3D, an ambitious first-person shooter called Prey was conceived. This 1995 concept lived on until the late 90s before being cancelled, then succeeded by a new take on the[...]

“That’s disgusting” Stop me if you've heard this one before. A crack team of specially trained operatives are sent to investigate the mysterious goings on at a hidden research facility. However, something deadly has taken residence in the halls of the now abandoned structure, and it's hungry. Yes, we're talking about the other Shinji Mikami[...]

"Life is short, play more" In the fourth of our single format console special podcasts, we look back at Microsoft's big fat toe in the water, the 'OG' Xbox. Leon, Karl, Michiel and Tony consider how the Direct X Box changed the landscape of console gaming forever, coming out of the traps with a built-in[...]

“HOW HIGH CAN YOU GET?” In the first of a series of podcasts about Nintendo's iconic simian, Leon, Darren and Michiel find out who among them is the king of Donkey Kong. As well as the original 1981 coin-op, its many varied ROMsets, clones, conversions and ports, the crew also play through the ape's 1994[...]

“Pull yourself together. Get out of prison. Kill the Jailer.” Furiously fast, furiously precise, and a furiously thumping synthwave soundtrack, Jacob, Charlotte, Michiel, and James discuss the furiously difficult Furi. Will The Game Bakers’ 2016 Japanese-inspired, French-made action game leave them full of admiration or just furious? http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_374.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1.[...]

In this interview extra podcast, Charlotte Cutts interviews Metako, a speedrunner who regularly bashes through 80+ hour marathons of the Final Fantasy series JRPG speedruns are a bit of a strange beast: runners try to complete the games as fast as possible, yet they can still span over several hours. Imagine Charlotte’s surprise when she[...]

“You’ll cry, you're gonna cry, you always cry. See? You're crying.” Final Fantasy X heralded the series' much anticipated debut on the the 'next gen' PlayStation 2. A large development team and budget afforded the game perhaps the highest production values yet, but how did the story and systems go down with the fan base?[...]

Leon speaks to actor, writer, voice artist, musician and black belt karateka Tod Fennell (and his Siberian Husky, Havok) about his work in videogames and the wider craft. Tod is the talent behind a wide variety of roles in major series' such as Assassin's Creed, The Division, Far Cry, Deux Ex, Rainbow Six and Ghost[...]

“Prepare to board Robo-Freighter Paradroid to eliminate all rogue robots.” Andrew Braybrook's Paradroid garnered plaudits and captured imaginations upon its 1985 release, before going on to spawn a host of updates, sequels, spiritual successors and remakes. Leon, Michiel and Jesse are joined by NYU Game Center tutor and QWOP creator Bennett Foddy to delve deep[...]

“A woodchuck should chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood, as long as a woodchuck would chuck wood.” Having left Guybrush hanging for over three years since our 2015 show on The Secret of Monkey Island, we finally pick up where we left off and open up the creaky crypt to Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's[...]

In this interview extra podcast, Charlotte Cutts interviews Edenal, chief organiser of the European Speedrunner Assembly The European Speedrunner Assembly has gone from strength to strength, raising huge amounts of money for charity while putting on a dazzling show for its Twitch audience. Ahead of ESA Summer 2019, which runs from 19–28 July at the[...]

“It works. It actually works!” We revel in two decades of recapturing rampant primates by casting our net over the original Ape Escape (aka Saru! Getchu!). Leon, Brian, Charlotte and Tony use all the gadgets at their disposal to round up hundreds of the naughty monkeys and report back with their time-hopping field studies. We[...]

For our 200th Sound of Play, members of the Cane and Rinse team have assembled to share some of the tracks from all throughout videogame history that have meant the most to them. Come celebrate 200 episodes of Sound of Play with a cracking selection of tunes! What we aim to bring you with Sound[...]

“A cave of wonders...”  Separate licensing deals meant that both of the major 16-bit consoles received a bespoke game to tie-in with Disney's 1992 animated feature, Aladdin. Dave Perry and his Virgin team employed actual Disney animators, Western sensibility and a scimitar for the Mega Drive/Genesis incarnation. Meanwhile in Japan, a pre-Resident Evil Shinji Mikami[...]

"Let us start the game." In this issue Josh, Leah, Charlotte and Cane and Rinse newcomer Jesse uncover the treasures and dark desires of the fifth entry in Atlus and P-Studio's Shin Megami Tensei offshoot JRPG series. We discuss the game's message to "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There!" in the face of societal[...]

“None could stand before the horde but the Doom Slayer.”  Three years on from the release of id Software's sequel-cum-soft-reboot we ask just how DOOM is DOOM (2016)? Leon, Jacob, Jon and Karl kite and circle strafe their way through the campaign, the multiplayer and the creative carnage of the user created levels found in[...]

“INSERT YOUR SOUL TO CONTINUE.”  Obviously it's a simple game about breeding and dressing up cute ponies. Or is it?  In the spirit of the Holy Crusaders, Leon, Brian, Charlotte, Jacob and a team of community contributors have their souls sucked into Satan's multigenre arcade machine. Creator Daniel Mullins supplied us us a Three Word[...]

"Doesn't it feel nice to let yourself go under the stars?” We conclude the PlayStation one era Final Fantasy triptych with our Final Fantasy IX podcast. Leon, Leah, Josh and guest, FF9 fan Chris Lane appraise what is known to be one of the development team's favourite games in the long running series. As usual[...]

“Do you ever dream of flying?” For the first of two podcasts on this lesser-known Nintendo IP, we swoop on Super Famicom showpiece title, Pilotwings. Leon, Darren and Michiel fly the (mostly) friendly skies of the Mode 7 driven flight school sim, discussing their rocket belt mastery and hang glider catastrophes with equal verve. We[...]

“In modern war... you will die like a dog for no good reason.” In which we are joined by War Child Gaming's Wayne Emanuel, for a fascinating look at the heavy and bleak survival strategy game, This War of Mine. Leon, Charlotte and Jacob make up the panel for a serious discussion on 11 bit[...]

"Come and f**king get me, you...white ass fascist Nazi pigs!" It's time for Nazi punks to GTFO as Tony, Jon, Karl, and Jacob discuss MachineGames' 2017 title Wolfenstein: The New Colossus. The panel covers the game's weighty gunplay and punishing difficulty, as well as diving headlong into the politics of fascism. Does The New Colossus[...]

"Now you're playing with power; PORTABLE POWER!" In the third of our series of single format console special podcasts, Leon, James and Leah stock up on AA batteries and fire up their Nintendo Game Boy handhelds for one last T-spin around the Tetris block. Along with contributions from similarly nostalgic members of the Cane and[...]

"Ashen One, hearest thou my voice still?" In March 2016, FromSoftware released Dark Souls III, their fourth game in the space of little more than two years. Jacob, James, Jon and Josh delve into the darkest catacombs of Carthus and climb to the loftiest spires of Irithyll to discover whether such quick cycles of iteration[...]

“Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten.” Two years on from its release - and from the conclusion of our original epic run of Legend of Zelda podcasts - we return to Hyrule for reflection upon The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Leon, James, Josh, Michiel and a cavalcade of[...]

With the community push behind Def Jam: Fight for NY growing ever stronger, Michiel (@MKStayOnTarget) speaks with one of the key, driving figures in the scene and top competitor Joseph Bagi a.k.a. Joey Bag O' Donuts (@JoeyBagODonuts8), tieing in with 2018's issue 337 of the podcast on the game.   Joey speaks about his relationship[...]

“TAKE A KEY FOR COMING IN!” After a few months' respite we throw ourselves back into the maw of Capcom's legendarily cruel series. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts - actually a full-blown third game in the series rather than a souped up reincarnation of the second (as the title might imply). Leon, Michiel, One Credit Classics'[...]

“Ready for adventure!” In 2014 Nintendo decided to spin off Super Mario 3D World's jumpless puzzling minigame into it own, full-blown title, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Leon, Darren, James and Josh - along with contributions from members of the Cane and Rinse community - recount their escapades with Captain Toad and Toadette. Susume! Kinopio. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_358.mp3[...]

"There is no good, there is no bad. Just perspective and opinion." It is my great honour to congratulate Josh, Leah, Brian and Tom for passing their exam and graduating to become official members of SeeD. As you all well known, being a member of SeeD comes with many privileges, but also many trials. They[...]

“We are alive, after all. And being alive is pretty much a constant stream of embarrassment.” We turn our attention to one of 2017's most talked about sexy androids smash up robots named after philosophers with floating swords games, NieR:Automata. As well as its high concepts and emotional and existential ambitions, does Yoko Taro and[...]

To tie in with issue 355 of the podcast, Cane and Rinse's own Michiel (@MKStayOnTarget) speaks with old school competitor, fighting game analyst, extra prolific commentator and all around fighting game community (FGC) figurehead James Chen (@jchensor) about Street Fighter IV.James talks about what led him to get on the microphone and start doing commentary,[...]

“The weak lose and the strong win! Which of these fighters will prove the old axiom today?” Don't call it a comeback. Nearly a decade on from Street Fighter III's swansong, Capcom once again bust out the roman numerals and landed a blow with Street Fighter IV. Home versions arrived in 2009, followed by a[...]

“Sir, don't sneak around like that, it makes you look suspicious.” Join Josh, Brian, Jon and James as they go undercover at IO Interactive. What will they find out whilst inside? Who is the shadowy figure that sent them there? And why do they all have barcodes on the back of their bald heads? These[...]

"A red apple fell from the sky..." Getting used to a whole new town is tough for anyone - but when you also have gravity powers, more problems than just learning the street layout are sure to land in your lap. Join Charlotte, Jay, James, and Leah as they discuss whether the high-flying of Gravity[...]

“Press A to begin journey” Join Karl, Jon, Jacob and James on an investigation into exactly what happened in Kingdom, Virginia in late summer 1992. A missing child leads two FBI agents into a web of conspiracy and corruption... or so it seems. Will Variable State’s Virginia stand up to close scrutiny, or fold under[...]

“Between the switch, fade through the blitz, and the strongest quits, burn through the kiss.” Cane and Rinse returns for its eighth year with by following up on Volume 7's Resogun show. In our Nex Machina podcast, Leon, Darren, Karl and Michiel get to grips with smooshing many robots in Housemarque's arcade swansong. The panel[...]

“Do Not Underestimate The Power of PlayStation” Leon is joined by Jay, Karl and Tony for the second of our single format console special podcasts. Sony entered the videogames hardware market in the mid-1990s and made a massive splash with its debut system, the PlayStation. The panel shares their memories of this heady time when[...]

“There ain't no gettin' offa this train we're on, till we get to the end of the line.” Appropriately - for the earth-shattering conclusion to our seventh year - we celebrate the coming of age of Square's Final Fantasy VII. A little over twenty-one years on from its release, Leon, Josh, Leah and Thomas, along with[...]

“Welcome to the family, son!” And so after a year's worth of zombies, spooky mansions, scary laboratories, definitely not zombies, horrific scripts and shocking performances, we reach the end of our Resident Evil series of podcasts. 2017's Resident Evil VII: Biohazard felt like a reboot of sorts and so Leon, Brian, Leah and Sean debate - partnered[...]

“Use power for the right things. At least for the things that you believe in.” We follow up Issue 322's Zone of the Enders podcast with a show all about the sequel, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (aka Anubis: Zone of the Enders). Leon, Josh, Karl, Michiel and our support team of community[...]

In this interview extra, Darren Gargette (@dezm0nd) talks to the two brainboxes behind Gory Detail (@gorydetail). They discuss games past (Conker), present (Rusty Pup) and future (‘Project3’). Focusing mainly on their most recent release; The Unlikely Legend of Rusty Pup, Chris Seavor (@conkerhimself) and Shawn Pile (@gorydetail)go into detail about the game’s narrative, level design and[...]

“And that is how it ended.” In this issue, Josh, Jacob, Jay and Tony wake up in the middle of an ancient ruin and find themselves covered in unusual tattoos. Beside them slumbers the most adorable cat/bird/megafauna any of them have ever seen. And guess what? IT WANTS TO BE OUR FRIEND! We discuss the[...]

“You've made it this far, haven't you?” In our penultimate Resident Evil series show, Leon, Karl, Leah and a host of community contributors partake in a cathartic session of group therapy. We speculate on what internal and external machinations led Resident Evil 6 to turning out the way that it did, as well as doing[...]

“On top of the mazic power, Arthur obtaihed the Psycho Cannon from ST. Michael, then after a dreadful batlle, he finally defeater Lucifer.” Marking its 30th anniversary, Leon, Karl, Michiel and Ben Cartlidge from One Credit Classics embark once again on that most treacherous of journeys from the Great Demon World Village of Ghouls 'n[...]

“Play nice! Play nice!” Leon, Brian, Darren and Michiel pair up for a frantic session of the fourth game in Nintendo's cartoon racer series, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! The game launched to great anticipation but a mixed reception in 2003. Was the GameCube game too gimmicky, too chaotic for its own good, or is it[...]

“There's so much to discover before the world ends.” An uncommonly recent (at the time of recording) 'AAA' title gets the Cane and Rinse treatment, as just over a year and a half after its release we turn our attentions to Guerrilla's post-post-apocalyptic metallic monster hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn. A panel of Leon, Jacob, Jay[...]

"The world before the fall, Lovely is the light of dawn, Noble is the heart of man..." Josh, Leah, Jon and Maya Santandrea continue our journey through the Final Fantasy series with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System's final entry. Hironobu Sakaguchi, who has been intimately involved with the series up to this point, takes a[...]

“You're merely postponing the inevitable!” For the eighth of our ten podcasts on the mainline Resident Evil games, we return to Kijuju for potentially the most controversial and divisive entry in the series. Leon, Charlotte, Jacob and Michiel decide whether or not Resident Evil 5 retained enough of its mighty predecessor's DNA to stay relevant,[...]

"“Just check the guest list. I'm under the section for fellas that ain't ugly freaks.”” In this issue, Josh, Sean, Michiel and Jacob take a bus to the small town of Innsmouth to investigate the fishy goings-on and casually uncover eldritch horrors not meant for mortal glaze. We discuss the lengthy development time for Headfirst[...]

“These militia, they come into our country, steal everything, and leave us nothing.” Darren and James buddy up to tackle the notoriously-hostile Far Cry 2. When the diamonds are down, their guns are jammed, and the fever starts to hit, can our mercenary duo avoid jumping out of the smoking jeep and into the fire?[...]

“Welcome To The Next Level” In the first of our extra-length single-platform specials, Leon (@ratsoalbion) is joined by Mega Drive enthusiast and expert Dan Clark (@MealtimeStrateG) as well as retro collector and technical guru, Digital Foundry's John Linneman (@dark1x). In traditional Cane and Rinse fashion, the assembled panel dissect every aspect of SEGA's 16-bit Mega[...]

"You cannot overcome suffering if you refuse to look at it.” Following up previous podcasts on Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC Devil May Cry, the Cane and Rinse team turns its attentions to Ninja Theory's most recent offering to the gaming gods - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Leon, Leah, Jon and Tony[...]

"That freight train that hit you? That was me!" Come and take a walk with Cane and Rinse, as Michiel, Tony, Karl and UFC judge and One Credit Classics head honcho Ben Cartlidge discuss the perfect cultural storm that was 2004's celebrity stocked "urban" street brawl 'em up Def Jam: Fight for NY, what led[...]

“You don't seriously think a conservative mind can chart a new course for the world, do you?” For the first time ever - as we continue our run through the mainline Resident Evil games - we give a game a second Cane and Rinse podcast treatment. 13 years on from its release and seven years[...]

“GO AHEAD DAUNTLESSLY! MAKE RAPID PROGRES!” Strawberry print boxers all round as Cane and Rinse makes its first journey to the Demon World Village of Ghosts 'n Goblins (aka Makaimura). Leon, Michiel and guest Ben Cartlidge consult their internal thesaruses in an attempt to use as many variations on the words hard/difficult/challenging as possible, and[...]

“Armageddon.” Veteran Finnish code aces Housemarque helped launch a new generation with their PS4 (then) exclusive, Resogun. Taking its cues from classics Defender, Drop Zone and Datastorm - as well as a few from Housmarque's previous gen banger, Super Stardust HD - Resogun pushed the PS4's voxel-pumping power to the limit. Leon, Josh, Karl and[...]

"Squad 7, move out!" Alright squad, listen up. The objective is to assist Josh, Michiel and Simon Cole in successfully evaluating Sega's 2008 Tactics RPG, Valkyria Chronicles. They'll be under heavy fire from difficulty spikes and a flawed ranking system, but we'll be countering with sketch book aesthetics, rousing music and third-person combat. It's been[...]

“Knights do it two-handed!” The Final Fantasy that was initially deemed too hardcore for the West. Leon, Josh, Jon and Leah have got the job to work out if Square's decision to keep this on under their hats for several years was justified. Final Fantasy V demands a lot from its players, and our panel.[...]

“Blue, blue skies...” Just why is SEGA's 25 year old coin-op racer still relatively easy to find in (what passes for) arcades in 2018? Leon, Michiel, new contributor Marvin Alexis and the Cane and Rinse community attempt to go beyond Daytona USA's beloved basics - those SEGA blue skies and some memorable music - to[...]

“It's gonna be dangerous from here on in, why don't we cooperate?” Perhaps appropriately, the last 'classic' style Resident Evil game (for a long while at least) would be the official, canonical prequel - Resident Evil 0. Leon, Darren, Michiel and guest Jon Salmon climb aboard the Ecliptic Express - the last train to Biohazard[...]

“Time flows like a river... and history repeats…” On a mid-90s roll, some of the team behind the Final Fantasy games broke off to create a follow-up to Square's 1991 Game Boy title, Seiken Densetsu (aka Final Fantasy Mystic Quest). This sequel was intended to be a more ambitious and action-driven type of RPG for[...]

"Tim is off on a search to rescue the Princess. She has been snatched by a horrible and evil monster. This happened because Tim made a mistake." Josh, Tony, Darren and new contributor Brian Edwards discuss their opportunity to indulge in the common fantasy of being able to reverse all your mistakes, in Jonathan Blow's[...]

“Here we go!” It's the third of our sporadic but ongoing series on the Mario Kart franchise and so we arrive at 2001's Mario Kart: Super Circuit (aka Mario Kart Advance) on the GBA. This time, Nintendo handed the reins over to their trusted independent allies Intelligent Systems, for which this title remains to this[...]

"HARNESSING A GREAT WELLSPRING, A PERFECT IMMORTAL CELL WAS CRAFTED TO BE IMBUED WITHIN ALL SENTIENT LIFE A NOBLE GOAL, THOUGH SUCH A POWER TERRIFIED OTHERS, AND BROUGHT RUIN AS ITS PURPOSE WAS TRANSMOGRIFIED THE ABHORRENT CELL STILL FESTERS DEEP IN THE CHAMBERS OF THIS WORLD" In this issue, Josh, Tony, Darren and Sean Bell[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to Gary Kirby and Ogulcan "Ojo" Gunel about their Rapture Gaming Festival http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/rapture_gaming_festival.mp3   Edited by Jay Taylor (@JaySevenZero).

“Sharpen thy shovel!” Hoist your gardening implement of choice and strike the earth as we explore a game grounded in the 8-bit era with Shovel Knight! Leah, Darren and Josh dig deep into Yacht Club Games' nostalgic platformer and unearth plenty of community correspondence gems along the way. For shovelry! http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_325.mp3   Music used in[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks again to author David L. Craddock (@davidlcraddock), author of Stay Awhile and Listen: Book II a documentary-style book continuing the history of Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard North, and their games. About David L. Craddock David L. Craddock is the author of The Gairden Chronicles and War of the[...]

“Oh yes, dear. Just like this.” All back to the Spencer Mansion for a rerun of the events of the 1996 original Resident Evil. Leon, Karl, Michiel and Sean replay the events of the REmake by which all other remakes would hereon be judged. Did Capcom's Shinji Mikami effectively have the last word on traditional[...]

“You spoony bard!” Final Fantasy leaps the generation gap like a nimble young chocobo, and sets up camp on the Nintendo's new for the 90s 16-bit behemoth. Leon, Leah, Sean and Jon Salmon ruminate on how that extra power allowed Square Soft to spread its wings and really go to town - and even the[...]

“HIGH SPEED ROBOT ACTION” Ahead of the sequel's latest re-release, we revisit Konami's 2001 sci-fi mech action game Zone of the Enders. Leon, Karl and Michiel ponder Hideo Kojima's level of involvement, whether the game - even the 2012 HD Edition - holds up in 2018, and - along with community contributions from the forum[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to the game urbanist, designer, and writer Konstantinos Dimopoulos (@gnomeslair), author of the forthcoming book Virtual Cities.* *Apologies for the drop in sound quality during this interview, sometimes there are issues that are beyond our control. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/konstantinos_dimopoulos_interview.mp3   Edited by Jay Taylor (@JaySevenZero).

“The Pikmin are as curious as children!” Leon, Darren, Leah and Michiel have finally recovered all 30 parts of their ship and succeeded in escaping this strange world! To think, all the times we almost gave up hope... On the now distant surface, the brave Pikmin that aided us in our perilous quest are running[...]

“PLAY PLAYER” Cane and Rinse celebrates the 40th (fortieth!) anniversary of one of the most important and influential videogames of all time, Space Invaders. Leon, Karl, Michiel and returning guest Dan Clark try to decipher just what it was about Tomohiro Nishikado's menacingly inexorable cosmic crustaceans that captured international imaginations and left its indelible imprint[...]

“You want it? You aren't worthy of its power.” In the fourth of our ten show series on the core Resident Evil games, we take a trip to mysterious Rockfort Island and a desolate Antarctic base with the Redfields in search of answers about the history of Umbrella Corp and the Spencer Mansion. Leon, Darren[...]

“In here, I can be happy, forever. I will be happy.” Stanley popped his headphones on and started listening to his favourite podcast, Cane and Rinse. Disappointingly, this issue was hosted by "Diet Leon Cox" Joshua Garrity and a panel that included some Computer Game Show cast off called Sean Bell... oh, and James Carter[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to the writer Richard Moss (@MossRC), author of the book The Secret History of Mac Gaming, recently published by Unbound http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_interview_richard_moss.mp3   Edited by Jay Taylor (@JaySevenZero).

“You had it comin'” Leon, Darren, Karl and Tony embark on a whistlestop tour of Team 17's prolific ballistic battler franchise, Worms. Tunneling through from Andy Davidson's original Scorched Tanks-inspired Total Wormage, all the way to the latest full-blown iteration, Worms W.M.D. There's also some wonderful community correspondence reminiscing about competitive couch play involving concrete[...]

“Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold.” One of our whirlwind tour type shows as we take on Namco's legendary swords, staffs and shields fighting franchise, SoulCalibur (briefly Soul Edge, aka Soul Blade). Leon, Karl and Michiel's souls still burn as they relive the giddy days of the PS1[...]

"Maybe they're out pillaging the countryside like good soldiers of doom?" Continuing our ongoing series, Josh, Leah and Jon say goodbye to the NES era of this franchise with the light hearted, short story collection that is Final Fantasy III. Except, why is everything in 3D? Within, we discuss the unique circumstance of this entry’s[...]

“Calling all Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Listen this week as Karl Moon, James Carter and guest, Brad Gallaway of GameCritics discuss Demiurge Studios’ 2013 title, Marvel Puzzle Quest. We talk about what makes it stand out in a match-three crowd, whether it stays true to the Marvel material and how a game downloaded to try over[...]

"S.T.A.R.S!” Leon, Josh and Michiel are pursued from beginning to end by the relentless, merciless and fashion-conscious Nemesis in our third Resident Evil podcast of the year. As well as the titular antagonist, the team and our community correspondents also look into the tweaks made to the formula for the one-time gaiden that became Resident[...]

Gareth Damian Martin (@JumpOvertheAge) is a writer, game designer, and photographer. Early last year, he took his column at Kill Screen, entitled "Heterotopias" and fleshed it out into a full online magazine. He and numerous contributors have used this platform to discuss video games using architectural sensibilities. From the faux-soviet future of 1989's Strider to[...]

“STILL AT LARGE… VERY LARGE!” Just ahead of the release of the 2018 movie version, Leon (George), Michiel (Lizzie) and Dan Clark (Ralph) team up in an attempt to understand the enduring appeal of Bally Midway's Rampage. Although the show focuses on the original 1986 coin-up, the trio also take a look at the official[...]

“This game is not a game: It's a portrait.” James, Leah, Tony, and guest Charlotte Cutts (@ccuttsgames) are your panel this week, as Will O'Neill's mostly autobiographical Actual Sunlight is the topic of conversation. Please be aware that Actual Sunlight is a game that tackles difficult subjects, including mental health, depression, and suicide, and that[...]

“It would seem the universe does not like its peas mixed with its porridge.” Comstock's corrupt Columbia is the Cane and Rinse collective's destination in this, our long-awaited and much-requested BioShock Infinite podcast. Five years on from the game's initial release, Leon, James, Josh and Tony reexamine its divisive gameplay as well as its controversial[...]

"Hrm? This tangle of yarn here looks familiar... ...AH! IT'S A YOSHI! Another entry into the subset of textile-based platformers(!), Yoshi's Woolly World arrived on Wii U in 2015 to moderate acclaim and success. Do Leon, Darren, Josh and Leah believe that developer Good-Feel screwed the Poochy, or that amigurumi Yoshi's adventure is a worthier[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to the creator of Point & Clickbait Tim Colwill (@burgerdrome) about his time as a game developer, game journalist and the formation of his humorous videogame satire site Point & Clickbait http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/tim_colwill_interview.mp3   Edited by Jay Taylor (@JaySevenZero). Why not venture over to our forum and join[...]

"I fight because I must." 1998 was a big year for stealth games, and Tenchu: Stealth Assassins was the first to draw its weapon. Podcasting from the shadows, Tony, Darren, and James will remain entirely unseen as they discuss whether Acquire kickstarted a genre-defining resurgence, or merely preceded it. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_308.mp3   Music used in this[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to the gaming historian David L. Craddock (@davidlcraddock), author of the popular online book Rocket Jump: Quake and the Golden Age of First-Person Shooters. About David L. Craddock David L. Craddock is the author of The Gairden Chronicles and War of the Elementalists fantasy series for young[...]

“So... this is what everyone's been dying for...” Raccoon City itself is under siege from the infected hordes and - wouldn't you know it? - it's Leon's first day on the job at the R.P.D. Our Leon along with Karl, Michiel and Sean barricade themselves in case of various scenarios, including some unlikely ones involving[...]

“Guy speak beaver.” In the second of at least fifteen podcasts on the series, Leon, Josh, Leah, and drop-in fourth party member Jon Salmon take Final Fantasy's difficult sophomore outing to task. Assisted by buffs from the community, the assembled consider the artistic merits and mechanical demerits brought to the party by Square during the[...]

“Ricky Winterborn!” As the N64 original turns 20, Leon, Darren, Michiel and Tony wrap up warm for another few runs down the mighty twin peaks of 1080 Snowboarding and 1080 Avalanche. Remarkably, before the first 1080 there had only been a handful of snowboarding videogames created, yet in the five or so years between 1080[...]

“Skills for Kills, Agent. Skills for Kills.” In anticipation of the series' forthcoming third instalment, Leon, Leah, Tony and guest David Turner from The Computer Game Show podcast revisit Realtime Worlds' 2007 Crackdown. Arriving in the relative early days of the open-world sandbox experience - and featuring online co-op to boot, Crackdown wowed many with[...]

“aren't you afraid?” Belatedly following on from issue 3 of the podcast(!) - in which we spoke to producer James Mielke about Child of Eden - we finally get around to taking a deep dive into that game's synaesthesiac predecessor, Rez. Starting with the game's initial release on Dreamcast and PS2 in 2001, Leon, Josh,[...]

"Whatever dreams you have! You’ll do your best to make them come true!” It's been a long time coming, but all heroes must eventually fall. Dashing, dodging, and dashing again through a hail of bullets are James, Darren, and Karl. Bosses will fall, time will slow, and hair will be dyed pink, as Bootdisk Revolution's[...]

“How come you look so scared?” The Cane and Rinse podcast's seventh year commences with our look at the original 1996 incarnation of Capcom's Biohazard - AKA Resident Evil. Throughout the coming year we'll be working our way through the mainline, numbered instalments in the much-loved series, concluding with Resident Evil 7 in December. In[...]

The entire Cane and Rinse team takes an epic look back at 2017 to reflect on all of the games that released that year that they had the opportunity to play. These are fresh opinions and not the thorough, historical perspective that the team usually takes, but consider this a sampling plate of some our[...]

“What the devil?” Cane and Rinse concludes its epic sixth year by closing off our run with The Witcher, specifically the two substantial pieces of downloadable content for The Witcher III; Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Leon, Josh, Leah and guest Mike Diver (@MikeDiver) discuss the new stories and features that these extra[...]

Thank you to all of our Patreon patrons and supporters. We didn’t hit our ambitious target, but we still thrive on your support. We knew it was a tall order and in the end we fell quite a way short of the amount we needed to go full time and produce twice the amount of[...]

“Death to the fascists!” Following on from our Medal of Honor: Allied Assault podcast back in 2014, we move on to Infinity Ward's first ever game, the original Call of Duty. Leon, Karl, Sean and Tony return to WWII as the theatre of conflict - just as Activision has done itself with its latest entry[...]

"Battle." Cane and Rinse rejoins the race in 1996, as we review Mario Kart 64 - a wildly divisive entry in a much-loved but polarising series. Leon, Darren, Leah and Michiel discuss the transition from Mode 7 to polygons as well as many other significant (including some still controversial) alterations to mechanics and handling Nintendo[...]

The people wait, their only hope, a prophecy....” In the first podcast of what we intend to be several years' worth of Final Fantasy coverage, we return to the original 1987 title. Warriors of Light Leon, Josh, Leah and Jon Salmon have ground their way through the 'bare bones' of Square's business-saving epic across various[...]

“FIGHT, MEGAMAN! FOR EVERLASTING PEACE!” Capcom's Rockman - better known in the West as Mega Man - blasted his way onto the scene 30 years ago with a tough, tantalising Famicom/NES debut. 'The Blue Bomber' would go on to appear in well over 100 games across countless formats, yet perhaps his most fondly-regarded outing was[...]

"ROLLING START" Moving onto the last lap, Karl, Tony and returning guest Gary Blower round out the final two iterations in the Project Gotham Racing series. Project Gotham Racing 3, launch showcase title for the Xbox 360, a technical tour de force, but did it live up to the fond memories of PGR2 (as discussed[...]

"Don't miss out on the enjoyment of a lifetime!" Are you ready, true believers? This jam-packed show spans a whole slew of fighting games released between December 1994 and September 2017, untangling the relationships between Marvel, Tatsunoko, SNK, Tekken and Capcom's various properties, as well as the developers behind the various mash-ups and their evolving[...]

"Maybe this old pig can't fly... But he's still got a bounce in his step!" Attention Hillyans! Cane And Rinse Network members, Tony, Leah, Josh and James have been hard at work, uncovering a 14 year-old Ubisoft plan. You'll hear tale of agents operating in Montpellier, Milan and Shanghai, a secretive plot that grew bigger[...]

“Is this what you want?” In the third of our four podcasts on CD Projekt Red's celebrated RPG series, we arrive at 2015's legitimately epic The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Leon, Jay, Josh, Leah - along with a wealth of community contributors - delve into Geralt's of Rivia's ultimate odyssey, discussing story, character, aesthetic and[...]

"My scythe... I like to keep it next to where my heart used to be." Tim Schafer's final game for LucasArts was his much-loved noir meets the Mexican Day of the Dead mashup, Grim Fandango. Has Manny Calavera's four year undead odyssey proved timeless, or - even when Remastered - have the visuals and puzzles[...]

Here's our latest update to our ongoing Patreon campaign to try and raise enough to allow us to make Cane and Rinse a full-time concern and to double the amount of Cane and Rinse podcasts we make each year. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/patreon_oct.mp3   Remember, you need only to commit as little as 75p or $1 per month[...]

"Heaven condemned me, and hell deceived me. Now, it's time to teach them both a lesson." Autumn 2014 saw PlatinumGames' Bayonetta 2 arrive as a Wii U exclusive, reviewed well and showcased the Japanese developer's talents for creating mind boggling set-pieces, deeply technical combat and naked ladies summoning hair demons. Leon, Leah, Michiel and special[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to William Collis (@William_Collis) the Co-Founder and President of esports coaching platform Gamer Sensei that provides personalized coaching and skills development to help gamers reach their next level. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/william_collis_interview.mp3   Music used in this podcast is as follows: 1: Get Jinxed by Agnete Kjølsrud from the band[...]

"...Who am I?" Join Josh, Tony and Sean as we travel to the year 2104 and try our best not to slip up on the mysterious black gel slavering the hull of the deep sea research facility, the PATHOS II. We confront monstrosities created in this abyss that not only make us fear for our[...]

"The answers you seek are inside this box… You always were the smart one." Fireproof Games' trilogy of mobile puzzle games is about to become a quadrilogy, but before that, The Room and its two sequels will be cracked wide open. James, Tony, Karl and, special guest, Paul Shotton (@PlexShaw) find that discovering the secrets[...]

"Gimme a hard copy of that" The acid rain beats the streets of L.A. like drums, marching me towards my next stop on the trail of these skinjobs. I don't know if Sean, Darren, Karl, James and the Cane and Rinse community can help me, but they've been tied up in this mess from the[...]

In this interview extra, Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to Ben Cartlidge (@1creditclassics) the creator behind the YouTube channel One Credit Classics, a channel dedicated to one credit retrogame clears with no continues and no save states. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/ben_cartlidge_interview.mp3   Music used in this podcast is as follows: 1: What is this Place? by K. Muraoka, Motoaki[...]

"Come here!" Kane and Rinse kovers the early years of one of videogames' more kontroversial koncepts, Midway's Mortal Kombat. From the ropy blue-skreen of the 1992 original to the konklusion of the truly 2D years with Mortal Kombat Trilogy on PS1, Saturn and N64, along with our kommunity kontributors we konsider kharakters, mekhaniks and kontrols.[...]

"Marian! Aw, man; not this again." A subtly different show this issue as Leon, James and Michiel consider three different approaches to reviving or renewing an existing (dormant?) IP. Double Dragon Neon, Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons and Double Dragon IV are the test subjects as the panel give their views on the[...]

Joining Leon for this interview extra are Jordan Erica Webber and Daniel Griliopoulos. Leon talks to Jordan Erica Webber and Daniel Griliopoulos about their new book Ten things videogames can teach us (about life, philosophy and everything) Jordan Erica Webber (@jawsew) Daniel Griliopoulos (@GriddleOctopus) Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/ten_things_interview.mp3   Music used in this podcast is[...]

"This path should lead us straight to the grave." From Earth to Mars and everywhere in between, join Guardians Leah and Karl, with guests CJ Black (@CoffeeJezus) and Paddy Smith (@PaddyStardust) along with contributions from our fantastic community as they tackle Bungie's epic multiplayer space shooter, Destiny. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_284.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1.[...]

"Our descendants will decide who we were when they see what we’ve left behind." In the second of four podcasts on CD Projekt Red's fantasy RPG series, Leon, Jay, Josh and Sean turn their attentions to 2011's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The panel considers just how much the developer moved everything on for[...]

"SPECIAL CUP" As Super Mario Kart celebrates a quarter of a century of infuriating racing mania, we return to the Mode 7 madness Super Famicom/SNES original. Leon, Darren, Karl and Michiel reminisce about the incandescent fury of being bullied by the likes of Luigi and Peach, as well as the elation of beating them to[...]

Here's our second update to our ongoing Patreon campaign to try and raise enough to allow us to make Cane and Rinse a full-time concern and to double the amount of Cane and Rinse podcasts we make each year. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/patreon_update_2.mp3   Remember, if enough of you respond to this appeal, you need only to commit[...]

"AGAIN!" In this issue we test our nerve to the very limit in the face of colour and sound smashing together and the very walls around us starting to close in. Josh, Sean, Karl and guest Ben Clavin of Pewter Games Studio brave Terry Cavanagh's 2012 fast paced, survival/puzzle game, Super Hexagon. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_281.mp3   Music[...]

Joining Leon for this interview extra is author of 100 Best Video Games (That Never Existed), Nate Crowley Originating from an idea that began on twitter Leon talks to Nate Crowley, author of the book 100 Best Video Games (That Never Existed). You can find Nate's book from most booksellers and can also be ordered[...]

"I feel like someone's watching us." Karl, Tony, Josh and Leah discuss Supermassive Games first foray on Playstation 4 with the console exclusive, Until Dawn. Join us as we analyse this modern take on interactive-cinematic teen horror and, along with valuable correspondence from our listeners, discuss whether the game made it out in the clear,[...]

"I had faith in you. In your ability to hate, in your self-righteous indignation" 1999 saw the release of the second title in the Legacy of Kain series, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, to critical acclaim. Join Karl, Michiel and special guests, Mark Hamer and Digital Foundry's John Linneman discuss Crystal Dynamic's technical juggernaut. Does[...]

"BUZZARD BAIT!" Recorded one day after the 35th anniversary of the game's arcade debut, the Cane and Rinse crusty crew remembers Williams' bizarre bird-battler Joust. Leon, Michiel and returning guest Dan Clark mull over the origins of John Newcomer's crazy concept, as well as trying to establish exactly what the game's legacy is, beyond Balloon[...]

“No wonder they call it a ‘web’ – nothing can ever get out.” Time travel is complicated. When time travel is the best hope you have of finding a missing friend, as it is in Life Is Strange, it’s even more of a minefield. When you take all of that and add in high school[...]

1987: Inspired by Aliens and Gradius, a compact but crack team at Irem produced a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em up that would become a genre icon, R-Type. Leon, Michiel and returning guest Dan Clark consider what made R-Type - along with its litany of remarkable home conversions - such a Force to be reckoned with. The[...]

"Am I... am I in-inside the movie?" As part of the once Nintendo GameCube exclusive Capcom 5 and Hideki Kamiya's third directing job, following the original Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 2, Viewtiful Joe by the now-defunct Clover Studio brought back the side scrolling beat 'em up in a bold, convincing style. Join Josh,[...]

Here's our first update to our ongoing Patreon campaign to try and raise enough to allow us to make Cane and Rinse a full-time concern and to double the amount of Cane and Rinse podcasts we make each year. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/patreon_update2.mp3   Remember, if enough of you respond to this appeal, you need only to commit[...]

"Old age is no jest!" The first of four podcasts covering CD Projekt Red's celebrated series of RPGs. Leon, Josh and Sean each complete the 2007 original (or the 2008 Enhanced Edition anyway) and report back on the humble beginnings of The Witcher. The Cane and Rinse community provides us with some extra experiences and[...]

"DUE TO A GENETIC ENGINEERING ERROR, YOU POSSESS SUPERHUMAN POWERS." Robotron: 2084 - by Williams' 'Vid Kidz' - may not have been the first twin-stick shoot'em up, but it was perhaps the one that most clearly defined the genre template which would be followed for three and a half decades (and counting). Leon, Michiel and[...]

"I can't even win with a sword anymore." For more than twenty years, the sprawling, lush titles of the Tales series have captivated JRPG fans the world over. Like its more “Fantastic” brethren, the series doesn’t require that the games be played together or in order, so even as the tenth title of sixteen (or[...]

"INVADE THE ENEMYS BASE" After the success of Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun and Renegade, Yoshihisa Kishimoto of Technos Japan set about outdoing himself with Double Dragon. The resulting two-player brawler would go on to spawn multiple sequels and spin-offs, as well as influencing every game in the genre that came after it. Leon, James, Karl and[...]

"LINES LEFT" Tetris: Such a simple, elegant game with such a complex and convoluted back story. Leon, Josh, Karl and Leah recall the heights of their Tetris addictions and the versions (among countless versions) that worked for them and those incarnations which failed to capture the spark of Alexey Pazhitnov's original. As usual, the panel[...]

"Watch her... she's sharp." Following a protracted and disrupted development, Rare eventually launched its spiritual successor-cum-sci-fi-sequel to the ubiquitous GoldenEye 007 (see issue 200 of the podcast) in the summer of 2000. Leon, Darren, Karl, Michiel and Tony recall the elation and the disappointments that Perfect Dark brought, the endless hours of multiplayer and the[...]

Joining Leon for this interview extra is WayForward Technologies' Game Director, Tomm Hulett. Recounting his remarkable career, Tomm tells us of his early days testing Dave Perry games for Virgin, before moving on to localisation work on JRPGs including Persona 3 for Atlus. Then he reveals all about his bittersweet time producing Silent Hill titles[...]

Cane and Rinse announces its desire to make twice the amount of podcasts from 2018 with the support of its incredible listeners and community http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/patreon_appeal_full_2017.mp3   Become a Cane and Rinse patron here: https://www.patreon.com/caneandrinse Hello everybody, Leon here. Welcome to a special Cane and Rinse announcement. Looking back: Cane and Rinse 2011-2017 First of all,[...]

"That's my story, just the way I lived it..." We travel to the year 2140 and crash land on the planet Titan. Panellists Karl, Michiel, Sean and returning guest, Dan Clark discuss Delphine Software’s visually iconic 1992 smash hit, Flashback. Join us as we travel to New Washington, battle Death Tower and help fight back[...]

"Here it comes... A MIGHTY DUSTER!" His name is Max and his world is fire and blood. Tony Atkins, Sean Bell (@CaptainToss), Jay Taylor and, making his Cane and Rinse debut, Mark Delaney (@N0TPENNYSB0AT) discuss Avalanche Studios' 2015 open world action adventure game Mad Max. Witness them as they contemplate whether it rides to the[...]

"It seems I have greatly overestimated you." The art of the Ninja is one of subtlety, patience and stealth. However, no one told Mr. Hayabusa this, and so Josh Garrity, Sean O'Brien and Michiel Kroder bare witness to Ryu figuratively tear up the Ninja guide book and paint the streets of Tairon red with the[...]

"Stay awhile and listen." In this three-man dungeon run Cane and Rinse, we delve deep on (almost) everything Diablo, briefly discussing the first two games in the series before hacking and slashing our way through the third game - expansions, updates, warts and all. Darren hosts this week's issue along with panellists Karl and Sean,[...]

In this interview special, Ryan talks to Mattia Traverso (@MattiaNotFound) about the 2016 Kinect oddity FRU, on which he is one of the designers. They chat about finding inspiration for games, developing for unique hardware, and balancing multi-modal challenges. Mattia also gives a detailed history of developing a Kinect game at a time when Microsoft[...]

"Maybe I’ve done this one too many times." Leon, Josh, Sean, Tony and the Cane and Rinse community lie to their spouses before slaughtering hundreds in their bid to unearth the treasure of Naughty Dog's multiple award-winning Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Emotional and technical aspects are duly held up to the light, along with[...]

"Meow meow, meow meow meow." Join Josh and guests Jon Salmon (@CatatonicNali) and Sean Bell (@CaptainToss), as we return to the family home on Arbor Hill after a long tour around the world, only to find no-one there to greet us. Have its occupants met a horrible fate? Perhaps you're not alone... or maybe the[...]

"Hot cars, sweet moves..." The engines are revving and the lights are green as Karl, Tony and returning guest Gary Blower (@Xantiriad) discuss Bizarre Creations new racing venture, Project Gotham Racing, created to launch along with Microsoft’s first foray into the gaming market with the Xbox console, before discussing the sequel two years in the[...]

"There's no choice but to go." In the final podcast of our Zelda run spanning the first 27 or so years of the series, Leon, James, Josh and Leah arrive at Triforce of the Gods 2 - better known in the West as The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Not for the first[...]

"We’re here to make you happy!" Another 'cult classic' comes under the Cane and Rinse microscope as we inspect skip Ltd.'s late entry into Nintendo's GameCube library, Chibi-Robo! Leon is joined by a trio of diminutive automaton helpers, Jeff Cork (@gijeff - Game Informer), Susan Marmito (@susakobunny - Ready Up) and Simon Cole (@thesonicmole -[...]

"You're just trying to impress me!" Former Rare man Darren is your host as a panel of Karl, Michiel and Tony cause environmental carnage in an attempt to save the world from environmental catastrophe. Two decades on from release our correspondents consider the (lack of) legacy of early N64 'cult classic', Blast Corps (Blast Dozer)[...]

"First we need to make sure that you can see in the darkness." In a slightly different sort of Cane and Rinse podcast, Leon, James and Josh are joined by developers The Working Parts (@TheWorkingParts) to fully inhale 'sunken forest frog adventure', They Breathe. Hugo Bille, Magnus Nyström, Victor Nyström and Kristian Johansson gather together[...]

Leon talks to Ben Clavin (@BenClavin) of Pewter Games Studios about their charming debut adventure, The Little Acre. An unusual point and clicker set in rural 1950s Ireland, none other than Revolution’s Charles Cecil (Broken Sword) came on board as Executive Producer the game. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_interview_with_ben_clavin.mp3   Edited by Jay Taylor (@JaySevenZero). Do you have an[...]

"This news has just filled my heart with rainbows!" In our 14th of 15 podcasts covering The Legend of Zelda, we arrive at the most recent 'big console' game in the series (before 2017's Breath of the Wild that is), Wii exclusive The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. With the longest development time and the[...]

"You are the first human to come here in a long time." It's high time humans extended an olive branch to the monsters they exiled years ago. To do just that, James, Tony and special guest Maya Santandrea (@mayasantandrea) venture into the darkest depths of Toby Fox's Undertale. Find out if they escape and whether[...]

"Never Accept. Always Question." Tony, Leah, Sean and Jay take to the grimy, smog-filled streets of an alternative history Victorian era London to discuss Ready at Dawn's visually resplendent, yet critically divisive, third-person action-adventure title - The Order: 1886. However, be warned, the podcast may contain talk of realistically flappy appendages! http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_255.mp3   Music used[...]

To tie in with issue 254 of the podcast, we talk to the most successful European Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike player of all time, Ryan Hart (@RyanJosephHart) The Prodigal Son talks to Leon and Michiel about the dawn of the fighting game community in the early 90s, from his earliest tournament experiences to success[...]

"May the best fighter win and win again." Following the earlier Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Zero/Alpha series podcasts, Leon and James - along with guests Dan Bendon and Gary Dooton - mark the 20th anniversary of the New Generation with a show all about Street Fighter III. Our marvelous community assists us in[...]

"What is this place?" When the arcades ruled and legal teams didn't, Konami went a long way to defining the run and gun genre with its Arnie and Sly take on the Aliens game, Contra. As well as a few name changes (Gryzor, Probotector, 'C') and plot alterations along the way, Contra also received a[...]

"Congratulations on your resurrection, Your Majesty!" We're almost on the homeward stretch of our odyssey of Link, with this particular leg of the journey a little lighter on the boot leather as we take the train. Leon, Darren, Josh and Leah are all aboard for Nintendo's second DS title in the series, The Legend of[...]

"I don’t know if anyone will ever hear this. It’s all over, I’m the only one left." Volume Six begins at the end of all things. the village of Yaughton has emptied, and now James, Sean, Tony and Jay follow The Chinese Room's signal to discover if Everybody's Gone To The Rapture. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_251.mp3   Music[...]

In this little podcast extra to kick off 2017, Leon Cox, Leah Haydu, Josh Garrity, Darren Gargette and Ryan Hamann look back and reminisce about their personal 2016 gaming experiences. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_end_of_year_2016.mp3   A look back at 2016 was edited by Ryan Hamann Do you have an opinion about a particular game or maybe about our regular[...]

Leon Cox (@ratsoalbion) talks to talented young actor Raphael Corkhill (@raphaelcorkhill) about making a living, including providing a variety of vocal performances for high profile games including Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Titanfall 2 and The Elder Scrolls Online. Raphael tells us about the methods, the practicalities and the working conditions, including what he thinks[...]

"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood." We conclude our fifth year of the podcast with our fourth FromSoftware show. Leon, Josh, Sean and - making his Cane and Rinse debut - guest Gareth 'Gary Dooton' Dutton (@GaryDooton) go to tahn on Hidetaka Miyazaki's gruesome gothica, Bloodborne.[...]

In this Cane and Rinse interview special Leon (@ratsoalbion) talks to Game Informer Senior Editor Jeff Cork (@gijeff) about his new book, Limitless Sky: No Man’s Sky Unofficial Discovery Guide. Jeff and Leon talk at length about the No Man's Sky saga so far, their hopes and dreams for the future of the game and[...]

"That's enough out of you, Sparkles." Not D-pads nor analogue sticks but styluses. Or should that be stylii? Either way, a contentious change of control method as we conclude the first year of our complete run through of Zelda reviews with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Leon, Josh and Leah discuss Daiki Iwamoto's directorial[...]

"Good job Kurt, you saved Kirkcaldy (tourism is safe!)" Leon, Tony and Sean Bell display their Mighty Deep Knowledge of Shiny's bizarre 1997 3D run and gunner and consider the game's origins, technical achievements and legacy, as well as considering whether or not hero Kurt Hectic's phallus-headed bondage suit is the Most Daringly Kinky element[...]

"It seeks ambition… and it will change the way you think about driving. Forever." Join Karl, Tony and guest Gary Blower (@Xantiriad) as they race through the city streets of London, San Francisco and Tokyo, giving kudos to the origins of videogame street racing in Bizarre Creations highly influential, yet also troubled, Dreamcast release, Metropolis[...]

"It's... a thing. A science thing. It hurts robots." Honest hearts Josh, Sean and James take a long journey down the lonesome road towards Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas. Will the bright lights of the big city still dazzle in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, or will they be dulled by old world blues? http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_246.mp3   Music used[...]

"There is nothing left, everything is gone." Join Josh, Leah, Sean and special guest Simon Cole, as they explore the dilapidated halls of Brennenburg Castle and face the Lovecraftian monstrosities found within. Can we keep our cool when confronted with horrors that decay the mind, simply by baring witness to them? A seminal horror title,[...]

"He's not exactly what I had in mind, but… I guess he'll do." Swansong for Nintendo's GameCube and curtain raiser for its Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess arrived at the end of 2006 to critical rapture. Leon, Josh, newly 'permanent' Cane and Rinse member Leah and the departing (for Nintendo) Ryan consider whether[...]

"Paris in the fall, the last months of the year, at the end of the millennium. The city holds many memories for me, of music, of cafes, of love, and of death." Released in 1996, Revolution Software's third game span a yarn surrounding the intriguing history of the Knights Templar. Leon, James, Karl and guest[...]

"Working together for a safer, better connected Sevastopol." In this issue Josh, Tony and Sean, along with special guest and writer for PC Gamer Andy Kelly, step aboard the dilapidated space station the Sevastopol, and encounter the monstrous alien life form that emerged from H.R. Giger's imagination. Drawing more from the 1979 original feature film[...]

"AAAAAHHH! They're everywhere! Pink elephants are everywhere!" It's a very extreme issue of Cane and Rinse as Ryan, Karl, and guest Dan Clark take to talking about the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater core series. An extensive history of Hawk's video game ventures from the PlayStation to the Xbox One are given with lots of skate[...]

"I hate drugs and chewing gum." The daring and diligent dudes of digital dialogue discuss the deviant, delerious Dark Dreams Don't Die. Does it demand devotion, or do the discussants dryly dismiss it as they are driven to delete its data? Ryan, Tony, James, and Sean disembark into SWERY's D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_240.mp3[...]

"It’s not big; we’re just small!" Capcom's dinky Game Boy Advance offering gets its own full-sized podcast of course. In the latest of our mammoth The Legend of Zelda series of shows, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap gets its feature presentation. Leon, Josh Ryan and guest Leah Haydu consider the qualities of this[...]

"Nothing looks more suspicious in America than someone who's actually prepared to make something." Leon, James, Jay and Sean take on Rockstar Games' critical and commercial behemoth, Grand Theft Auto V. The panel dissect the open world, the gameplay mechanics and the unholy trinity of characters, as well as the game's story and script. Expanding[...]

"Checkpoint!" Celebrating its 30th anniversary, SEGA AM2's iconic coin-op racer Out Run is the subject of our latest podcast retrospective. Leon, Ryan (new to the game in 2016!) and returning guest Dan Clark talk arcade awe, sprite-scaling, Magical Sound Showers, and special techniques as well as touching upon the myriad - successful and unsuccessful -[...]

"Penalty." Dino Dini and Steve Screech collaborated in the late 80s to make the 16-bit footy phenomenon that was a ubiquitous multiplayer fixture for the next two to three years, at least until Sensible Soccer came and stole away its title. Soccer lovers Leon, Karl and guest CJ Black remember the original brace of Kick[...]

"Even if you worms attack me as a group, I'll skewer the lot of you on my mighty trident!" Our ninth The Legend of Zelda podcast sees us tackle the co-op multiplayer antics of Four Swords on the GBA and its sequel, Four Swords Adventures for GameCube. Leon, Josh, Ryan and Sean (along with contributions[...]

"I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for centuries." In 2014 Telltale Games applied its episodic, adventure game formula to a title based upon Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series. In this issue, Joshua Garrity, Tony Atkins, Ryan Hamann and Sean O'Brien discuss The Wolf Among Us, aided as always with excellent[...]

"Hello there ladies and gents, are you ready to rock?" A combo of Leon (guitar), Ryan (bass), Tony (drums) and full combo-meister Paul Shotton (vox) passionately recall their many, many hours with the various iterations of Rock Band, from the 2007 launch of the first band-in-a-box, via numbered sequels, LEGO and The Beatles, right up[...]

"We leave for Paris on the 8:25. In an hour." Pack your bags! Ryan, James, Tony, and special guest Sean Bell grab their train schedules, wool trousers, and iPhones to play the globe-trotting interactive fiction favorite, 80 Days. The wayward adventurers go under the hood with the game's deceptively complex mechanics and narrative structure and[...]

"Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans as far as the eye can see." Or Zelda IX. Or is it VIII? Seven-and-a-half? That's why no-one calls it that. Anyway, this is definitely the eighth of our 18 planned podcasts on Nintendo's fantasy franchise. Leon, Josh, Ryan and Leah Haydu consider and confer all aspects of the 2002/03[...]

"Hey hey hey, c'mon over, have some fun with Crazy Taxi!" It's 1999 and arcade gamers are enjoying some Crazy Taxi, SEGA Hitmaker's loud and lurid take on the career of driving a Hackney Carriage. Leon, Karl, Ryan and returning guest Dan Clark talk Dreamcast and coin-op versions of the game in some depth and[...]

"I know your type: tall, dark, and dead you want to bite all the petals off of my head." No-one had pitted flesh-eating vegetation against brain-eating cadavers before PopCap's George Fan, but that's exactly what he did in 2009's tower-defence-with-a-twist, Plants vs. Zombies. Your panel of Leon, James and Ryan have put hundreds of hours[...]

"We shall always remember the night... when I lost Ori to the Great Storm..." Developed by Moon Studios, Ori and the Blind Forest was released in March of 2015 to much critical acclaim. In this podcast Tony Atkins, Ryan Hamann, Darren Gargette and Joshua Garrity discuss the game, its distinctive art style and Gareth Coker's[...]

"Soil, time, sun, rain, warmth... I await one who knows many essences..." Nintendo entrusted the development of a Zelda game to Capcom 'super-group' Flagship for 2001's simultaneously released duo of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. The project started out as an attempt at remaking the[...]

"Another world?" For many, the idea of JRPG maestros Level-5 teaming up with animation and storytelling magicians Studio Ghibli was the stuff of fantasy. Ni no Kuni ('Second Country') was the entirely real manifestation of this collaboration however, arriving first on DS in late 2010 before coming, extended and opulent in HD, to the PS3[...]

"To defeat them is a must and bringing peace to the land is my duty!" With their mothers, fathers, siblings and even their old mate Alex all slayed by DEATH=ADDER, Leon, Karl, Michiel Kroder and Dan Clark avenge their losses by thoroughly giving SEGA AM1's 1989 fantasy brawler Golden Axe, its inspirations, its various conversions,[...]

"I must admit, nothing could have prepared my old eyes for what now lies before them." Inspired by the arcade games of CAVE and Treasure, the modern day Manic Shoot 'Em Up has found a home in the living room. Final Form Games' 2011 shmup, Jamestown has Bullet Hell hallmarks, but its unusual setting, structure[...]

"Bring it down." Titanfall landed just over two years ago, the much anticipated first product of former Infinity Ward devs, Respawn Entertainment. Although closely associated with Xbox One (and perhaps therefore unfortunately, that particular console's controversial launch), the game also arrived on PC and 360. Leon, Josh, Karl and guest David Turner of The Computer[...]

"Goddess of Time, help us please! We need more time!" In our sixth podcast covering Nintendo's fantasy series, we come to 2000's The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Leon, Ryan, Michiel Kroder (as well as an audio contribution from Leah Haydu) are your panel as we attempt to cram everything we need to say about[...]

"We have awakened the terrible destructor..." Breakaway studio Treasure launched its first game in 1993, Gunstar Heroes. Formed of some of Konami's crack Super Nintendo coders, Treasure rapidly built its reputation on this hectic, sometimes surreal sprite and special effects-heavy run and gunner for SEGA's 16-bit Mega Drive/Genesis. Leon, along with a panel of enthusiasts[...]

"I know you got questions, but we gotta get moving." Darren, Karl and Sean discuss RAGE, a game from a fascinating time in id Software's history. The then brand new id Tech 5 engine rendering a 'MegaTextured' post-cataclysmic wasteland is the setting as we converse at length about what it's like to drive, shoot and[...]

"Persona!" Josh and Ryan, along with special guests Leah Haydu and Jerome McIntosh (@JeromeMci), enter the mysterious dark hour and explore every nook and cranny of ominous edifice Tartarus. This isn't the first time we've gotten to know some Japanese high school students, with unusual extra curricula activities. However, this group's tale proves to be[...]

"Oh... man! It's gonna be a long day..." Darren, Ryan, Cane and Rinse debutant Michiel Kroder and returning guest Jon Salmon discuss the potty-mouthed squirrel before, after and around the rather unorthodox platformer, Conker's Bad Fur Day. Focusing mainly on the original N64 comedy adventure, we discuss how a Scouse dung beetle sounds to non-English[...]

"Listen!" In which a panel of Leon, Darren, Karl and Leah Haydu consider what the fifth The Legend of Zelda title brought to both the series and videogaming in general. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remains one of the best-reviewed games in the history of the medium, but how do we feel about[...]

"You said you were different, Jodie. In what way?" Following on from our much earlier Fahrenheit (96) and Heavy Rain (100) podcasts, we now turn our attention to Quantic Dreams' interactive drama action-adventure - Beyond: Two Souls. Tony, Jay, Sean and Karl discuss the 2013 release, the hype surrounding it and whether it delivers on[...]

On this special edition of Cane and Rinse, Ryan Hamann (@Insrtcoins) interviews author, professor, and games philosopher Alfie Bown, sharing the insights that he has gained while writing his book Enjoying It: Candy Crush and Capitalism. Music used in this issue: Track 1: Spring (The Valley Comes Alive) by Eric Barone from Stardew Valley Track[...]

"Your mission has always been to die, soldier!" In the second of our current run of three id Software podcasts, Leon, Darren and Jon Salmon focus their ineffective flashlights on 2004's much-hyped DOOM 3. How much of a big deal was it at the time, and how does it fare more than a decade down[...]

"My sweet heart since child hood." Certainly not the first urban brawler although perhaps one of the most fondly remembered and influential, Capcom latterly entered the burgeoning arcade progressive beat-'em-up scene with 1989's Final Fight. Known as Street Fighter '89 during development, the game was eventually released without overt SF ties, though ended up donating[...]

“And all these stories we’ve been telling each other. Just that… stories.” Her Story arrived in Summer 2015 to critical acclaim and has since garnered numerous accolades and awards. The FMV investigation brainchild of Sam Barlow bears some similarity to his work on psychological profiling in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, but this time focuses on[...]

"The Wind Fish sleeps long and dreamily in the Egg above..." In the fourth of this mammoth run of podcasts featuring Nintendo's eternal hero we are washed ashore on the dream island of Koholint in The Legend of Zelda; Link's Awakening. Leon and an all-USA panel of Ryan, Sean and Leah Haydu thoroughly explore Takashi[...]

“ONCE YOU BEAT THE BIG BADASSES AND CLEAN OUT THE MOON BASE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO WIN, AREN’T YOU?” The landscape of the videogame industry changed forever with the release of id Software‘s epochal corridor shooter, DOOM. In this issue of the podcast, Leon, Darren, Karl and new panellist Jon Salmon re-open the sphinctered dimensional gateway[...]

"I swear on the name of Dumuzid, the Shepherd, consort of Ishtar! Your ass is mine, punk." Buckle your chastity belts because we're exploring the romantic horror that is Atlus' oddball block-climber / dating game Catherine. Ryan Hamann, Joshua Garrity, and Sean O'Brien belly up to the bar to talk about the Persona team's unusual[...]

"No, I wanted orange! It gave me lemon-lime." In the year 2000, Ion Storm released the cyberpunk-themed action role-playing game Deus Ex to universal acclaim. James, Ryan, Joshua and Karl look back on this award winning game and discuss how it stands the test of time some sixteen years later. We also include a plethora[...]

"May the way of the hero lead to the Triforce." Released on the one year anniversary of the Super Famicom in Japan, The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods arrived in the USA and Europe as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in 1992. Returning the to the oblique, top-down perspective[...]

"Ain't there somebody who can stop this fighting machine?" After the Street Fighter II series finally came to its end but before The New Generation's 1997 Street Fighter III debut, Capcom brought us... a whole ton of SF-related stuff: The 'Versus' series, a puzzle game, a kawaii spin-off, some chunky EX polygons, lots of Marvel[...]

"It's Me! Fizzie!" In this issue, Host Tony Atkins is joined by Karl Moon, Sean O'Brien and Darren Gargette as they venture over to Sunset City to discuss the 2014 title developed by Insomniac Games and published by Microsoft Studios as an Xbox One exclusive - Sunset Overdrive. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_206.mp3   Music used in this issue:[...]

Objection! It's the trial of the century! The prosecution and defense line up to examine and find the truth about Gyakuten Saiban a.k.a. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Ryan Hamann and Joshua Garrity from Cane and Rinse are joined by Susan Marmito of Ready Up! in a recording studio that's in Los Angeles. Definitely Los Angeles.[...]

"I AM ERROR." In the second of our seventeen (!) planned The Legend of Zelda podcasts, we tackle notoriously tough 'odd man out', Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Indeed, the game's excessive difficulty put paid to planned panellists Josh and Sean, leaving Leon, Darren, Ryan - and not forgetting a wonderful heap of community[...]

Cane and Rinse contributors Leon, Darren, James, Josh, Ryan and Sean crack open the brandy and cigars and pass judgement on their personal 2015 gaming experiences. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_year_end_2015.mp3   Cane and Rinse 2015 was edited by Ryan Hamann Do you have an opinion about a particular game or maybe about our regular podcasts in general? Then why[...]

"It is so a fine gift." Monolith Productions (not to be confused with Monolith Soft) hit pay dirt when they combined JRR Tolkien's fantasy with core gameplay facets from the Assassin's Creed and Batman: Arkham franchises. The result, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (not to be confused with Shadows of Mordor). Rangers Leon, Brian, Josh, Karl[...]

"If this thing goes sideways and we end up on the other side, meet me at the bar. I'm buying." Following on from issue 22 which covered Mass Effect 1 and 2, Josh, Brian, Karl and Ryan tackle the divisive final chapter of this space opera epic, Mass Effect 3. Did the panel feel like[...]

"IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE! TAKE THIS." The Cane and Rinse podcast returns for its fifth year with the start of its longest series yet. Just under 30 years ago, Nintendo released The Hyrule Fantasy: Zeruda no Densetsu for the Famicom Disk system. Much better known as The Legend of Zelda, Miyamoto and Tezuka's 1986[...]

What is Cane and Rinse? Cane and Rinse is a videogames podcast and blog. Our team of experienced enthusiasts takes a different game (or occasionally a series of games) each show and passionately discusses the experiences that title offers. We try to be well-researched and thorough while doing our best to avoid hyperbole, pigeonholing or[...]

"For England, James?" Because we failed to do it for issue 007, finally here it is for issue 200. That's right, to polish off our fourth year of the podcast we uncover the mystery and magic of Rare's much loved license, GoldenEye 007. Leon, Brian, Darren and Tony - along with a cartel of community[...]

"Stay away from my bins!" The driest and most reverent gaming organ around (that's us) comes face-to-face with possibly the most succulent and disrespectful - that's Digitiser, otherwise known as Paul Rose aka Mr Biffo, obviously. PRESS REVEAL: moc-moc-a-moc http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_interview_with_paul_rose.mp3   Links: Digitiser 2000 Biffovision Confessions of a Chatroom Freak

"Hello, Mr. Snowman" In the penultimate issue of Volume Four, Ryan Hamann, Brian Tarran, Jay Taylor, and guest CJ Black explode into the action-packed Just Cause 2, with some discussion about the original Just Cause as well as some speculative pondering about its upcoming sequel. Rogue agents we are not -- we draw from our[...]

"All o’ ya!" Leon, Darren and Josh put their gizzards and giblets on the line as they tiptoe back through Rupture Farms. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee – and its recent remake, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty – are up for health and safety inspection in this analysis of Oddworld Inhabitants‘ debut title. We also feature a community[...]

"Before this is over, promise me you'll figure out which one of us is the machine." Concluding our run of Halo podcasts ahead of the release of Halo 5: Guardians, we turn our attention to Halo 4. Leon, Darren, Josh Karl and Tony - along with our ever-reliable community members - discuss how 343 Industries[...]

The incomparable creator of Eternal Darkness and Too Human breaks radio silence to offer us this searingly honest interview. Leon and James are joined by Denis Dyack and Phil Haymes of multimedia innovators Quantum Entanglement for this rare chat. Over the course of more than three hours Denis takes us from Silicon Knights' earliest endeavours,[...]

In this special edition of the Cane and Rinse podcast, Ryan Hamann interviews USA Today's top education writer, Greg Toppo. Greg was invited to speak about his new book, The Game Believes in You: How Digital Play Can Make Our Kids Smarter. In his book, Toppo makes the argument for video games being used in[...]

"Sup?" Ryan, Josh, Jay, and James swipe right to express their fondness for the deceptively simple iPhone mega-hit Threes!. The panel discusses the developmental history of the card-swiping mobile title, recount the tragic story of its post-release copycats and clones, and talk about THAT SONG. As is always the case, we hear from the fabulous[...]

"...I'm just a drawing! But I'll be free soon enough..." Leon, Tony and Karl abuse save-states to see SEGA Technical Institute's late era Mega Drive/Genesis game Comix Zone through to its 'choice' of endings. The panel - including the always welcome guest, SEGA expert and poet Dan Clark - as well as our brilliant community[...]

"Thomas was alone. Wow, what a weird first thought to have" Josh, Ryan and Tony set up their microphones, for what was bound to be another enthralling issue of Cane and Rinse. "I wonder what Tony is going to say about this game's narrative?" Josh pondered. "It'll be interesting to discuss this game's use of[...]

"It's wounded, end its suffering!" For the penultimate podcast in our current run of Halo shows Leon, Josh, Karl and Tony remember Reach. Did Bungie, Inc. pull out all of the stops for their 2010 franchise swansong? Did the game miss the green, cybernetic elephant-in-the-room presence of the Master Chief? Did those spaceship levels add[...]

"That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" LucasArts (nee Lucasfilm Games) discovered buried treasure with their swashbuckling 1990 point-and-clicker, The Secret of Monkey Island. The Cane and Rinse crew of Leon, Brian, Karl, Ryan and a galley full of contributors don their fanciest pants and recall their time insult swordfighting on Melee Island(TM),[...]

"Every goal, goal, goal, says you're the best in the land!" Before FIFA, before Pro Evo (but after Kick Off), there was Sensible Soccer. 'Sensi' and its sequel Sensible World of Soccer (aka SWOS) dribbled around many of their computer footy predecessors' pitfalls, before assuredly bending a 25 yard curler into the back of the[...]

"Oh disciple of the dark sun, thou hast journeyed far." From Software switched personnel around for Dark Souls II, the first straight sequel in their Souls oeuvre. New directors brought new ideas that split fan reaction. 18 months after release, James, Sean and special guest CJ Black (Twin Humanities) welcome new faces of their own[...]

"Get set for a combat drop!" In the latest of our Halo series of podcasts, Leon, Karl, Tony and guest CJ Black (Twin Humanities) revisit the franchise's 'odd one out', Halo 3: ODST. Not starring the Spartan Master Chief but rather several of the cast of Joss Whedon's Firefly as battle-hardened commandos in action on[...]

"Super State." Stephen Cakebread's Geometry Wars may have started life as a Project Gotham Racing Easter egg but has since taken on an intensely glowing, neon life of its own. Leon, James, Ryan and guest Sinan Kubba trace the series back to its 2003 debut on the original Xbox before safely weaving their way through[...]

"Oh my God! Corn! I didn't have corn for dinner! This is awful!" In 2006, Rockstar Vancouver introduced us to Bulworth Academy and the adventures of the delinquent Jimmy Hopkins in the tabloid-baiting Bully (Canis Canem Edit). James, Ryan and Jay discuss whether the school-based escapade deserves a gold star or an after school detention?[...]

"We must strive to cherish their memory and never forget." With Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Ubisoft Montpellier took on the daunting task of making an accessible, informative interactive experience based around the First World War without doing a disservice to the grave source material. Leon, Tony and James, along with some superb contributions from[...]

"Wake me... when you need me." Halo 3 saw the Master Chief's debut on the Xbox 360, surfing in on a tidal wave of hype. Though Bungie didn't even quite manage to bestow the 'next gen' game with 'HD ready' graphics, Halo 3 arrived to stellar reviews and spectacular sales, not to mention more than[...]

"The dark, reddish-black pool of blood… The scattered pieces of flesh… Organs strewn across the floor like the blossoming of a grotesque flower..." It's a sadistic and mind-bending romp through sci-fi horror as Ryan Hamann, James Carter, and Karl Moon discuss their journeys through the perilous and mysterious 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.[...]

"I love you so much, Red. You know that right?" As a follow up to their critically well-received first game Bastion, Supergiant Games came up with the distinctly stylised Transistor. Ryan, James and Sean sit down and discuss their histories with the game, the characters, gameplay and it's stunning soundtrack. As always there are contributions[...]

"I'm a science genius girl. I won the science fair. I wear a white lab coat. DNA strands in my hair." A pair of PlayStation 2 games that, as we discover, were vital precursors to many rhythm action hits of the mid-to-late 2000s, including Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Rock Band and - seemingly - several[...]

"I... I am a monument to all your sins..." With Halo 5: Guardians scheduled to arrive later this year, Cane and Rinse company drop from orbit down to the surface of the second Halo. It's easy to forget just what a big deal this release was for Bungie and Microsoft back in 2004. How do[...]

"I'm talking guys who beat off, four times a day!" Goichi Suda teamed up with co-writer Shinji Mikami to create one of the 'Capcom Five' for Nintendo GameCube in the early-mid 2000s. The result was the unique and intriguing melange of mechanics and ideas, Killer7. Leon, Josh and Sean attempt to relate the whats and[...]

"Weatherman says there's a storm coming our way to spoil the fun." The Cane and Rinse podcast concludes its Silent Hill cycle where it began, with a panel of Leon, Josh, Karl and Sean. Silent Hill: Downpour may or may not turn out to be the last ever 'proper' new Silent Hill release (Book of[...]

"This one red hour will make your reputation or mine... are you right with your maker?" Silicon Knights' 2008 Xbox 360 exclusive, Too Human, was supposed to be the first in a trilogy of games. It was supposed to be the best game Denis Dyack's studio had ever produced. James, Brian and Sean Bell dissect[...]

"You can wax on, wax off all you like. I'm still kicking your ass." A late-generation cult classic or a ridiculous, slapstick B-movie take on the 3D brawler? Clover Studio wanted their cake and eat it with their 2006 swansong, God Hand, and Capcom let them have it. In Issue 177, James, Josh and Sean[...]

"Yes, the Nazis rule the world now, they are everywhere. Everywhere." Our four podcast series tracing the history of this particular franchise concludes with MachineGames' 2014 debut, Wolfenstein: The New Order. Leon, Tony and Karl explain how the latest (until contemporary prequel The Old Blood anyway) Nazi-blaster starring William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz manages to feel[...]

"Our caller ID shows that you are calling from Silent Hill, I regret to inform you that you are beyond even our help." The penultimate of Cane and Rinse's eight Silent Hill podcasts sees Leon, Josh and Nick Parton from Just Add Idiots try to piece together their splintered recollections of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.[...]

"What was I really doing walking in there with my bad haircut and ridiculous shirt?" Max has a snazzy shirt and new employers as he leaves behind dark, dreary New York for sunny, scorching Rio. Rockstar Games made plenty of changes for Max Payne 3, and split opinion in the so doing. James, Karl, Darren[...]

"Magic... The elusive trickery that chains my people..." Hanging up their Covenant sniper rifles and Dragon Greatswords to dawn the wings of a fairy princess of the Enchanted Kingdom, Ryan, Darren, Tony, and Brian journey into the magical world of Kameo: Elements of Power. With perspectives ranging from recent adopters to excited Xbox 360 launch[...]

"Ice cream! Ice cream!" A dystopic vision (late 80s/early 90s style) of bone-crunching, metallic future sports, courtesy of the famous Bitmap Bros, first Speedball and then Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe captured the imagination of many gamers over a quarter of a century ago. Leon, Darren and Tony celebrate the frenetic violence of the first two[...]

"Alright, you cuff him, I'll read him his rights." In this, the sixth of our eight podcasts on Silent Hill, we turn our attention to 2008's Silent Hill: Homecoming. A title that many series fans seem to perceive as a controversial entry in the franchise creates some genuinely interesting discussion, as well as some of[...]

Guests CJ Black (Twin Humanities) and Sean Bell (Midnight Resistance) join Leon and Jay in our entirely unbalanced Dragon's Dogma issue. That's right, you'll not find much negativity about Capcom's 2012 action RPG here (although, as always we dissect the game and talk about those aspects we feel weren't as strong as others). This show[...]

"Why don't you have a pork bun in your hand?" United Front Games fused classic Hong Kong crime cinema with contemporary open-world videogame shenanigans for 2012's Sleeping Dogs. The game that was at one stage going to be a True Crime title ended up forging its own path, carving a niche and other such phrases.[...]

"Mein Leben!" In this, our third podcast on the Wolfenstein series of games, James, Brian and Tony discuss Raven Software's 2009 addition to the series - Wolfenstein. We also include our opinions from our community along with their three word reviews. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_168.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: Zeppelin Battle by Bill Brown 2: Main Theme by Bill[...]

"Hey, chill. You don't see me bringing up your issues." It's back to basics for the fifth of our Silent Hill series of podcasts. Climax Group were tasked with creating the 1976 set prequel to the original game with Silent Hill: Origins, but after an abortive attempt by their LA studio, a less ambitious title[...]

"Did you guys just come out of the closet? Get out of here!" In 1995 a Square Soft development 'Dream Team' launched an epochal RPG for the Super Famicom/SNES. Chrono Trigger has since time-travelled its way to PlayStation, DS and mobiles, but does it retain an ageless charm? Leon, Brian, Josh and returning guest Simon[...]

"Don't get too cocky!" For those times when minigames are just too time-consuming, Mario's evil doppelganger Wario (with a little help from Nintendo R&D1) invented microgames. Leon, Darren and returning guest Dan Clark explore the world of game development, Made in Wario style. As usual our community contributors also have their say on the subject[...]

Move a little, turn a little break a little, hurt a little In this podcast Ryan, Josh, Karl and Sean confer about Queasy Games' 2012 side-scrolling musical platformer: Sound Shapes. They discuss their own experiences with the game, the various artists involved in the soundtrack and the title's level creation tools. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_164.mp3   Music used[...]

"This is a nightmare... It can't be happening..." The last game in the series by Team Silent, Silent Hill 4: The Room is a game that so brazenly experiments with the established formula, the internet conjured forth a myth to explain its existence. One that Josh , Sean and Karl are quick to debunk. There[...]

"You have simply given up, and you would have us all do the same." In our first Assassin's Creed podcast for over three years we belatedly catch up with the series' fifth installment, Assassin's Creed III. Leon, Brian, Jay and Sean debate the technical and storytelling merits and failings - both inside and outside of[...]

"But what am I supposed to do with all this cheese?" In the second of four Wolfenstein podcasts we turn our attention to Gray Matter's 2001-2003 PC and console FPS, Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Leon, Tony and Karl see what BJ Blazkowicz got up to (shooting fascists) in this id Tech 3 take on the[...]

"I should never have angered that shopkeeper..." Join us as we explore the spider-infested, alien-contested and shopkeeper-invested world of Derek Yu's 2008 and 2012 roguelike - Spelunky, platforming homage to the likes of Spelunker and Rick Dangerous: Spelunky. Josh, James, Darren and Sean focus their attention on the 2012 remake, as it's the game that[...]

"Monsters? They looked like monsters to you?!" We're less than halfway through our Silent Hill series of podcasts and yet already concluding the 'original' and 'classic' trilogy. 2003's Silent Hill 3 which retreads the unhallowed ground of its predecessors, Leon, Josh and Sean - along with our esteemed contributors - discuss whether it does so[...]

"You are that special one that I've been waiting for" A slightly under-the-weather Leon (cold), Karl (stomach ache) and Dan Clark (headache) huddle together to celebrate Sonic Team's much misunderstood Saturn exclusive (at the time though no longer), NiGHTS into dreams... We also talk about the festive wonders of Christmas NiGHTS, the game's legacy and[...]

"Let's ruffle some feathers!" Tony, along with guests Gary Blower (GameBurst) and Brad Gallaway (GameCritics) take a look at the Activision published Skylanders series - covering Spyro's Adventure, Giants, Swap Force and Trap Team.* http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_157.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: The SWAP Force by Lorne Balfe 2: A New Chieftess by Lorne Balfe Cane and Rinse 157 was[...]

"Select your vehicle." Fond festive memories of Christmas '97's gleeful kart, hovercraft and plane adventure: Diddy Kong Racing. Leon, Darren, Karl and our community peer through a haze of Nintendo 64 fuzz to Rare's candy cane (and rinse) fuelled sugar rush. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_156.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: Diddy Kong Racing Theme by David Wise 2:[...]

"I guess I really don't care if it's dangerous or not. I'm going to town either way." Can we already reached the peak of the Silent Hill series after only two of our eight planned podcasts on the series? According to many we may well have done but do our panel of Leon, Josh and[...]

"Wow! Incredible!" Leon, Darren, Josh and Ryan explore the vast, chaotic world of Super Smash Bros. from its pre-millennial inception on N64 up to and including Brawl on Wii. There's plenty of talk about the hardcore tournament scene surrounding the GameCube's Melee too of course, plus as usual we hear from members of the Cane[...]

"What are you doing here? Are you lost too?" In this issue, James Carter, Ryan Hamann, Brian Tarran and Jay Taylor discuss Keiichiro Toyama's gravity defying PlayStation Vita title - Gravity Rush (a.k.a. Gravity Daze). They talk about their thoughts regarding the title's distinctive visual style and setting, the music and not forgetting the actual[...]

"Mein Leben!" In the first of four podcasts looking into the storied history of the (Castle) Wolfenstein saga, we start with the late Silas Warner's 1981 stealth/action hybrid for 8-bit computers. After gasping in awe and wonder at the ambition of its 1984 sequel, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, Leon, Tony and guest Andi "Johnny Wolfenstein" Hamilton[...]

"Huh? Radio? What's going on with that radio?" Cane and Rinse returns for its fourth year with the start of our Silent Hill series. In the first of eight podcasts dedicated to Konami's horror franchise, Leon, Josh, Karl and Sean turn off the state highway to visit the, erm, sleepy town of Silent Hill once[...]

"Do you like hurting other people?" In a flurry of chaos, Hotline Miami burst through the door of the videogame world and took on all comers. In Issue 150, it's time for James, Sean, Brian and special guest Andi Hamilton from Midnight Resistance to take on Dennaton Games' surreal, violent top-down brawler and see who's[...]

"We now have a dog and Alistair is still the dumbest one in the party." Ahead of the forthcoming Inquisition (which we are expecting), Leon, Jay, Tony and guest Gary Blower of Gameburst journey back to the Ferelden of yore. BioWare's dark high fantasy Dragon Age: Origins burst forth in 2009 and provided gamers with[...]

"Your team has trained hard, and I have every confidence you'll get the job done." WASD and mouse fingers are flexed as Leon, Tony and Karl* revisit Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, the game that to all intents and purposes begat monster franchise Call of Duty. Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers are duly[...]

"Let us fight man versus tiny baby man!" For this week's podcast, Josh, Darren G., Karl and Jay discuss Valve's 2007 idiosyncratic cartoonish shooter Team Fortress 2. Amongst the topics covered are the changes made between the first game and it's more outlandish sequel, the savvy way in which Valve marketed the game to its[...]

"Ugh! It smells like a whale... ate some cabbage... and died in your mouth... like a year ago!" Darren, Brian, Ryan and Jay discuss Double Fine Productions' ambitious third-person action adventure game - Brütal Legend. They talk about their thoughts regarding the game's troubled production, the controversial inclusion of the real-time strategy gameplay and the[...]

"i borrowed this phone from a sex worker and i haven't figured out how to do capitals on it yet" Tom Francis' Gunpoint is, by its author's own admission, not the most appropriately named game ever released. However the former PC Gamer journo's debut title is a well-received and well-worth discussing 2D stealth/puzzle/action game. Leon,[...]

“It doesn't matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.” Oft-requested, once delayed, here at last is our podcast devoted to Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed The Last of Us*. Leon, Jay, Josh and Sean talk about the story, the cut-scenes, the performances and - yes - the gameplay, in both vanilla PS3[...]

"Don't be a stranger now!" This week Tony, Darren, Ryan and guest Gary Blower (Gameburst) discuss Rare's brightly coloured, papier-mâché life (or perhaps zoological) simulation title Viva Piñata. The discussion also covers the sequel Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise and the various spin-offs - Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise, Viva Piñata: Party Animals and last but[...]

"You come from a world that's been gone for 50 years..." Hideo Kojima's Snatcher isn't quite 50 years old, but James, Sean, Karl and special guest Brad Gallaway (GameCritics.com) take a trip back to 1988 to visit the far-flung future of 2047, and the cyberpunk dystopia Konami's update to the text adventure genre.* http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_142.mp3  [...]

"Talking about me? Never wise." Darren Gargette, Darren Forman and Brian Tarran discuss interplanetary anti-hero Richard B. Riddick and his break-out critical hit, 2004's first-person action adventure The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, as well as its 2009 follow-up, Assault on Dark Athena. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_141.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: Prison Escape[...]

"Your flesh is an insult to the perfection of the digital." Leon, James and Karl were unfazed by the task of having to complete Looking Glass Studios/Irrational Games' notoriously tough and terrifying 1999 action RPG System Shock 2 for this podcast. Our panel marvel at how hardcore made-specifically-for-PC games could be back at the time[...]

"Mya ha! They'll remember ME once I drive my axe into their... Wait... my axe! Where's my axe?!" Nintendo's near-quarter-of-a-century-old tactical, turn-based fantasy battle RPG Fire Emblem is the subject of this issue of the podcast, and specifically the series'  most recent entry, 2012/2013's Fire Emblem Awakening for 3DS (and 2DS). Leon, Darren, Josh and[...]

"Yes, that's it! Embrace the path of uncertainty! Jump!" Media Molecule's Vita-feature utilising Tearaway is the subject of this issue of the podcast. Traversing a whimsical and surreal paper-craft world typical of the developer, Iota and Atoi must deliver a crucial message to the player. As usual we also hear about what the game means[...]

"It really does sound quite absurd, adventure of a bear and bird!" Rare's ursine-avian twosome are the subject of this issue of the podcast. Not only do Leon, Ryan, Brian and former Rare employee Darren discuss the original, much-loved Banjo-Kazooie, but also its 2000 sequel Banjo-Tooie as well as a brief word about a brace[...]

"You’re so fine, I want you mine, you’re so delicious, I think about you all the time, you’re so addictive..." Bringing our journey through the Burnout series to a close we come to Criterion's final 'proper' game bearing the name, Burnout Paradise. Cruising around Paradise City are Leon, Darren, James and Karl, plus we also[...]

"Hey, wanna hear the new dubstep song I wrote? Wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub. DROP! Wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub wub." For this weeks show James, Sean, Jay and Darren Forman don their best vault hunter gear in order to[...]

"Because, y'know, that's what grown-ups do. They make things up." Leon, Tony, Josh and Ryan plug into old Johnny's brain to experience the RPG Maker magic of Kan 'Reives' Gao and his indie game development team Freebird Games mind-altering sci-fi adventure, To the Moon. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_134.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: For River -[...]

"The fight is everything." With some trepidation but no little enthusiasm Leon, Josh, Sean and guest Dan Clark take on the phenomenon that was Street Fighter II. Starting with a look back at the original Street Fighter (1987) before moving in to Street Fighter II: The World Warrior these dauntless urban thoroughfare pugilists then trace[...]

"Can you guys believe this?! DJ Atomika from Race Radio just called and told me to turn the down the volume!" A new publisher, new mechanics and new online features; Criterion evolved the Burnout series at a furious pace some ten years ago. Karl, Darren G and James are joined by special guest Gary Blower[...]

"Names are for friends, so I don't need one!" Karl, Brian, James and Jay dust off their silverballers, check their fiber wires and discuss the Danish developer Io Interactive's fourth game in the series, the 2006 release - Hitman: Blood Money. They confer about the follicly challenged character of Agent 47 whilst also touching upon[...]

"Oh, hey. Hiya, pretty lady. Name's Rick. So, you out having yourself a little adventure?" Leon, Tony, James and Josh awake after 999999 days of suspended animation to cast their eyes (and an amalgam of mysterious gels) over the rusting carcass of Aperture Science's giant, upside-down facility. Valve's Portal 2 was met with widespread acclaim[...]

"This way!" Concluding our (first) Super Mario marathon, Leon, Darren Gargette and James attempt to resolve the quandary that is the (not so) New Super Mario Bros. series. From 2006 DS debut to 2013's premium Luigi-themed dlc, we attempt to decipher whether the NSMB games are worthy heirs to the 2D Mario Mushroom Kingdom throne[...]

"High speed, high risk, drive to the limit." In the first of a trio of podcasts dedicated to Criterion's Burnout racers Leon, Darren Gargette, James and Karl roar headlong into oncoming traffic to return to the series' origins a couple of console generations ago. As usual we also feature some recollections from our contributing community[...]

"Life was never easy in the tunnels, but it was our home." We return to the post-apocalyptic waste land of Moscow in 4A Games' 2013 sequel, Metro: Last Light. Josh, James, Darren, and making his Cane and Rinse debut, Brian Tarran, journey into the dark and dangerous tunnels just below Russia's capital, to see what[...]

"Have I lied to you? ...I mean, in this room?" From Narbacular origins to Orange Box unveiling, Leon, Josh, Karl and the Cane and Rinse community try to remember Valve's multiple award-winning first-person puzzler Portal the game, before Companion Cubes, cakes, catchy songs and other memes took hold. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_126.mp3   Music used in this issue:[...]

"Yes, it's undeniable! We're detecting Power Star energy patterns in the nearest galaxy." In this, the penultimate podcast of our six month long Super Mario bonanza, we discuss the first and third highest-rated videogames of all time (according to GameRankings), Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Could Nintendo EAD Tokyo helmed by Yoshiaki[...]

"To my mother, brothers and sister, with whom I survived the monster in my father." In this issue of the podcast Leon, Tony, James and Sean talk about what Vander Caballero's hugely personal fable Papo & Yo means to them. As usual we also hear from some of our Cane and Rinse forumites and Twitter[...]

"Dropped out of college and got a job as a bike courier. Mostly just to piss off my parents." An electro-charged double-header this issue as Leon, Jay, Josh and Sean discuss the positives and negatives of Cole McGrath's PS3 outings as the juiced-up star of Sucker Punch's inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2. As usual we also[...]

"Naiee." "Nyaa." A change of pace and tone for Starbreeze with their downloadable story of symbiotic siblings, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, affecting many who played it. Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette and Karl attempt to wrap their minds and thumbs around the concept of single-player co-op, aided admirably by some excellent contributions from the[...]

"What happened? Did the perpetrator get away?" In the fourth of our six podcast 'core' Super Mario series, Leon, Tony and Darren G jet off to the sunny climes of Isle Delfino for what we hoped would be a relaxing vacation. Is Super Mario Sunshine as 'hated' as people seem to think? Do staunch Mario[...]

"Slurp it, suck it, I know we all like it." PaRappa the Rapper, Masaya Matsuura's little lovelorn dog that could (rap) pretty much kick-started the rhythm-action genre single-pawed. NanaOn-Sha followed up with the twisted tale of a rocking ungulate destined to take a trip to Hell and back - UmJammer Lammy - before PaRappa the[...]

"Do exactly as I say, and I promise this will be over before the night is out." Manhunt and Manhunt 2 have garnered a fair amount of discussion in the past 10 years, not much of it about the games themselves. In issue 119, James, Tony and special guests Andi Hamilton and Paul Shotton look[...]

"No interest eh? I can tell you're not going to last long here." In Issue 76, Cane and Rinse visited Lordran to discuss of Dark Souls. With Dark Souls II mere days away James, Tony, Sean, Darren F and special guest CJ Black made their way through the fog to Boletaria to look back at[...]

"Ah spaghetti... Ah ravioli... Ah mamma mia..." In the third of our 'core' Super Mario series podcasts we arrive at the dawn of the 64-bit era and perhaps one of the most esteemed launch titles of all, Super Mario 64. Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette and Karl remember the booting up and seeing Mario's massive, malleable[...]

"Isaac and his Mother lived alone in a small house, on a hill..." In our second podcast covering an Edmund McMillen designed videogame, James Carter, Darren Gargette and special guest Lewie Procter discuss The Binding of Isaac and the depths that it literally and metaphorically goes to. In this issue we tackle the original story[...]

"Am I not beautiful?" Starting with the Nintendo 64 and working our way through Dreamcast and PS2 we trace the murky history of 3D Castlevania titles before arriving at MercurySteam's 2010 opus Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Leon, Josh, Sean and guest Andi Hamilton of Midnight Resistance as well as our faithful forum correspondents discuss the[...]

"It's like looking after a bunch of misbehaving kids..." Hironobu Sakaguchi's Mistwalker attempted to ring in some changes to the traditional JRPG template for Wii epic The Last Story. Leon, Darren Forman and Tony discuss the game's protracted release schedule, its very British localisation and its all-action, real-time combat. As usual the Cane and Rinse[...]

"Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Yoshi. On my way to rescue my friends!" In the second of our 'core' Super Mario Bros. series of podcasts, Leon, Darren Gargette and Sean Bell of Midnight Resistance launch into the 16-bit era. Super Famicom/Super Nintendo launch behemoth Super Mario World and cutesy swansong Super Mario[...]

Danmaku fuss about it but we're covering a whole load of games in this issue instead of the usual one. This time out we turn our attentions to small but perfectly formed Japanese specialist developer Cave Co. Ltd. as Leon, Darren Forman, James and new guest contributor Simon 'The Sonic Mole' Cole try to express[...]

"Makes you wonder what the point of everything is." James Carter and Darren Forman along with Joystiq's Sinan Kubba and The AI Bots' Dan Clark gather together to confer about Cavia's third-person action role playing game Nier, which was published by Square Enix back in April of 2010 for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation[...]

"Magical spell is Ei-Ei-Poo!" Tony 'AiAi' Atkins, Darren 'GonGon' Gargette and Leon 'MeeMee' Cox are your guides on this whistle-stop tour of SEGA Amusement Vision's Super Monkey Ball series, beginning with Toshihiro Nagoshi's 2001 coin-op and tracing their way through to 2012's Banana Splitz on the PS Vita. Of course we also feature some of[...]

"Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" In the first of a six podcast series dedicated to the core games of the Super Mario canon Leon, Darren Gargette, James and Karl recollect the athletic plumber's first flurry of success in Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros.[...]

"Rule number one: Don't get me killed." In 2012 Klei Entertainment released their love letter to the stealth genre in the form of Mark of the Ninja. With Nels Anderson at the helm, what started as a project that had the simple goal of "containing ninjas," became one of the few experiences out there that honoured the[...]

In addition to issue 107 of the podcast, and a coincidental update to Proteus this week, James sat down to chat with the game's designer, Ed Key. Ed talks about Proteus from inception to release, and how the ten months since have been for him and for the game. Expect discussion of indie games vs the[...]

Ed Key and David Kanaga's collaborative musical exploration game Proteus raised eyebrows equally for its distinctive visual style and interactive music, as much as for its intentional lack of challenge and objectives. Tony Atkins, Sean O'Brien, Darren Forman and James Carter discover the wonder of nature without ever leaving the comfort of their own homes.[...]

"'In and out within a month' they said." Taking in all of Guerrilla's now six-game PlayStation-exclusive sci-fi FPS series but focusing on Killzone 2 and Killzone 3. The subject matter may be grittier and weightier but the podcast isn't, as Leon, Jay, Josh, Sean and members of the Cane and Rinse community discuss their quibbles[...]

"What's next, Arkham County, Arkham Country, or even Arkham World?" We conclude our brief Caped Crusader series with in-depth analysis of Rocksteady's highly rated 2011 sequel, Batman: Arkham City. Leon, Jay, James and Darren Forman are this issue's rogues gallery, aided and abetted by your forum posts and Three Word Reviews. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_105.mp3   Music used[...]

"Don't go throwing your controller at the cat, it could throw something back and it would only escalate from there!" Sack People of the world unite! Our discussion of Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet takes in user-created genius, our own shoddy attempts at level-building and the game's much talked-about platforming 'feel'. We also hear plenty from the[...]

"I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." Leon, James and Karl jump in the communal bath and swap boot-room stories from two decades of virtual soccer management. They also discuss the origins, successes, failures, legacy and culture of Football Manager (formerly Championship Manager), as well as the real-world influence of[...]

"Gather round and I'll tell you a story, of a castle that fills men with fear" Rare's first game for Microsoft following their megabucks move from Nintendo was comedy haunted house beat 'em up Grabbed by the Ghoulies. Tony, James and Darren Gargette are your panel, sharing their experiences of the Xbox-exclusive Halloween 2003 spooker,[...]

"Come on boys! He's just one man! One man dressed like a lunatic and armed to the teeth." Cane and Rinse returns for its third volume with our long-awaited appraisal of Rocksteady's much-celebrated 2009 surprise smash, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Leon, Jay, Josh and Karl elect not to affect gravelly, Christian Bale Bat-voices to share their[...]

"I'm trying to keep a handle on it. But... it's difficult." Concluding both our Quantic Dream series and Volume Two of the Cane and Rinse podcast, we turn our attentions to 2010's PlayStation 3 exclusive Heavy Rain. David Cage's interactive noir certainly achieved its ambition of generating emotional responses, as you will hear from Leon,[...]

"Now hold still, this will only hurt until your brains come flying out!" Ex-LucasArts employees Tim Schafer, David Dixon and Jonathan Menzies formed Double Fine Productions in 2000. Their first completed project was a 3D platform adventure that starts in an awfully bizarre summer camp and ends in an offal bazaar: Psychonauts. Leon, James, Josh[...]

"Well you picked the right place, Cole, a city that needed an honest cop like a thirsty man needed water." After the best part of a decade in development, Team Bondi's gritty detective procedural L.A. Noire finally hit consoles in 2011. Leon, James, Jay and Josh pull out their curly-cornered notebooks in order to establish[...]

Using the foundations laid down by a 2008 flash game, Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes crafted what would become one of the most talked about and well loved digital releases to hit Xbox Live Arcade and PC. Combining precision platforming, with a charmingly juvenile sense of humour, Super Meat Boy catapulted the two halves of[...]

"It all started right here... Where else could it happen?" James, Tony, Sean and special guest, GamerNode's Eddie Inzauto contend with fourth wall breaking, multiple bouts of coitus and nonsensical story telling to give us the lowdown on Quantic Dream's 2005 work of *ahem* "digital entertainment" Fahrenheit. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_ninety_six.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: Main[...]

"Agh! I knew it! I knew there were ninjas around here!" Two and a half years after they released the first of the Splinter Cell series of games in November of 2002, Ubisoft gave us, what many consider to be the high-point of the series to date - Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. James, Karl and[...]

"It's about time you showed up, Fox. You're the only hope for our world!" Corneria, fourth planet of the Lylat System. The evil Andross turned this once thriving system into a wasteland of near extinction. General Pepper of the Cornerian Army was successful in exiling this maniacal scientist to the barren, deserted planet Venom. Five[...]

"I've been through a lot of crazy situations, but that one... that one takes the cake." After a four year absence following 2003’s Spy Fiction on the PS2, Director Hidetaka Suehiro unveiled Rainy Woods at Tokyo Game Show 2007. This heavily Twin Peaks inspired psychological thriller-slash-survival horror finally emerged in 2010 under the name Deadly[...]

"Breaking news, Bob! You're fired!" Following mixed fortunes with Grin’s Bionic Commando and Blue Castle’s Dead Rising 2, Capcom decided to hand over another of their classic IPs to a Western developer and see how Ninja Theory would fare with DmC Devil May Cry. Leon, Darrens Forman and Gargette and Josh try to fill your[...]

"Allow me to tell you a tale. It took place 360,000... No, 14,000 years ago." Ignition Tokyo, with Okami’s Takeyasu Sawaki at the helm, set out to tell a tale that possibly took place 360,000 years ago, or 14,000 year ago, we’re not entirely sure. Drawing from christian and judaic mythology, and specifically The Book[...]

"A famous explorer once said, that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are." In this podcast Leon, Tony, James and guest GameBurst's Neil Taylor examine Tomb Raider 2013’s successes and shortcomings, its sexual assaults and its tiny tombs. We’ll also be taking a good long look back at Lara Croft’s 90s[...]

"In the end, you know it's all just blocks." Mojang Studios, based in Stockholm, Sweden created not only one of the most popular games in the world today with over 18 million copies sold, but also one of the deepest and most complex should you dig a little deeper beyond the simplicity which lies upon[...]

"We all start with innocence, but the world leads us to guilt." Borrowing elements from Thief, Deus Ex, Half-Life and more, Arkane’s Dishonored debuted in 2012 to critical acclaim and word of mouth plaudits. But was it actually any blinkin’ good? Leon, James, Jay and Josh drug some guards and hop into Dunwall to find[...]

"My mommy always said there were no monsters - no real ones - but there are." Making an exciting videogame based around James Cameron’s 1986 action sci-fi masterpiece Aliens should be the game-making equivalent of making Lionel Messi tap a football into an unguarded net. Did Gearbox manage to score from three yards out with[...]

"Today is special day." After five years of development, would Phil Fish and his Polytron Corporation be able to create the indie darling that everyone hoped Fez would be? Find out as Darren Gargette, Joshua Garrity, James Carter and Sean O'Brien discuss the highs and lows of Fez. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighty_six.mp3 1: Adventure by Disasterpeace 2: Beacon[...]

"...be careful what you wish for. It might just get you." To coincide with the release of The Last of Us - and to conclude our Uncharted trilogy of podcasts - we return to 2011 and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Was it all we’d hoped for and more? Leon, Tony, Jay and Sean also take[...]

"What is a man? A Miserable little pile of secrets!" More than ten years after the series’ Famicom debut, director Toru Hagihara fully integrated exploration and RPG elements into the traditional linear, gothic action-platforming of Konami’s Akumaj? Dracula (Devil's Castle Dracula) series. The result was one of the most celebrated 2D titles of all time:[...]

"Hell, what happened to you?" 2011’s Driver: San Francisco, the sixth game in the franchise. Were Ubisoft Reflections able to turn back the clock and deliver us a good ol’ boy, able to hijack its way back into our hearts? Or was it just caught violating its parole? We’ll dig in and find out. On[...]

"Yeah, good luck pal, that's almost impossible to - oh, you did it. Nice." In the second of our Uncharted trilogy of issues, we turn to 2009’s beloved mega-sequel: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Could Nate and co. knock it out of the park at the second time of asking? Can we? Probably not, but we've[...]

A couple of months ago I recorded an interview with C.Y. Reid, also known as failnaut. It took me longer than it should to edit the three hour conversation down to something slightly less than half that, but here it is. Apologies and thanks go to C.Y., whose games (including the newly released Escape Pod)[...]

Lo cunto de li cunti Independent developer, Tale Of Tales aims to create “emotionally rich interactive entertainment” whilst eschewing the “limitations of competitive play”. In Issue 81, James, Tony and special guest Paul Rooney look at four of their games in an attempt to discuss subtext and the boundaries between video games and interactive art.[...]

"We fell through a TV! Actually, uh... what is going on here?" Shin Megami Tensei has been around for awhile, standing just outside the industry spotlight, quietly releasing unusually Japanese RPGs desperately searching for... Signs of Love. Despite garnering only a tiny cult following, its... Heartbeat Heartbeat, just kept on pounding. Atlus even found the[...]

"Are you sure you wanna be defiling your ancestor's remains like that?" After ten years of working with Crash and Jak, Naughty Dog attempted to send gamers on an adventure of intrigue and derring-do that would rival those of Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, in Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Leon, Tony, Jay and Josh delve into[...]

"We will be watching" Once again you’re put in charge of defending the Earth from an extraterrestrial incursion, only this time you have an army at your command and the backing of the world’s leaders (at first anyway). And when the action kicks off it’s your wits and tactical nous that will be tested, rather[...]

"I know this tunnel, and it knows me." Would you Adam ‘n’ Eve it? Another nuclear apocalypse, and this one’s due in 2013! Leon, Tony, James and Karl head for the nearest tube station to discuss the coming to pass of 4A Studio's chilling prediction as shown in Metro 2033. As ever we also feature[...]

"YOU DEFEATED" In the Age of Ancients, The world was unformed, shrouded by fog A land of grey crags, archtrees, and everlasting dragons But then there was Fire And with Fire came disparity. Heat and cold, life and death, and of course.. Light and Dark. Then, from the Dark, They came And found the Souls[...]

"You motherf**kers think you're too good for these?!" Grand Theft Auto IV was of course in fact the eleventh GTA title. Five years and three more later we’re still awaiting GTA V. Rockstar, you so crazy. Leon, Jay and Karl consider the merits of GTA IV, as well as its predecessors and successors with a[...]

"Hello.  Um...allow me to introduce myself..." "The name's Resetti.  Mr. Resetti. Have we...met before?  At the...post office, perhaps?  Yeah, whatever. Anyway, let me just say thanks for buying this game, Animal Crossing. Um...on behalf of everyone at Nintendo, I...um...I... What was the next part?  Huh?  Aw, forget it!  That's enough! Let's get down to business, whaddaya say?  Because you may[...]

"This is not a sermon. I will offer no insight." It took four studios to make BioShock 2: 2K Marin, 2K China, Arkane and Digital Extremes working together to attempt to match (or better) what Ken Levine’s Irrational had achieved with the original BioShock. Were the fruits of so much labour as sweet and ripe[...]

"Like it or not, the world has changed." In Ubisoft’s I Am Alive you play as an unnamed man trying to reach his partner and child in an America left in ruins by a mysterious “Event”. The protagonist’s journey proves to be almost as tortuous and harrowing as the development of the game. Tony is[...]

"Hell, it's about time." From 1998 South Korea would never be the same again. It was that year that Blizzard decided to put aside their swords and wands for a brief moment, strapped themselves into some power armour, and brought out C-14 rifles. From the foundations laid down by WarCraft, StarCraft was born and met[...]

"Ground Upper!" In the 80’s and 90’s you could hardly move through town for badly dressed punks being flying kicked by vigilantes with terrible haircuts. Fortunately these events were documented for posterity by such games as Renegade, Double Dragon, Final Fight and SEGA’s Streets of Rage series. Leon, Darren Forman, Karl and Dan Clark of[...]

“I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question." "Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No!' says the man in Washington, 'It belongs to the poor.' 'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'It belongs to God.' 'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'It belongs to everyone.'[...]

"If you want guarantees, buy a toaster." Formed by the three Yerli brothers, Frankfurt’s Crytek burst onto the PC gaming scene with the technically impressive FarCry in 2004. Three years later they followed up with Crysis, a near-future sci-fi FPS that remains one of the most graphically demanding games available. Is the beauty of Crysis and its 2011 multi-format[...]

"It takes a strong man to deny what's right in front of him." Released in June 2012 for 360, PS3 and PC, Yager Development’s Spec Ops: The Line is a third-person military shooter set in a troubled Middle East where you play as a highly skilled US Delta Squad operative sent to yadda yadda yadda...[...]

Long Road Ahead Is anyone out there? Tony, Josh, Sean and James are still in the Cane and Rinse bunker as they try desperately to send the message far and wide to the remnants of civilization: Telltale Games' The Walking Dead is here and it will not stop. If you are listening then use this[...]

"Clementine will remember that." From a secure location, Cane and Rinse continue to podcast to any and all survivors. Be warned, point-and-click adventures have risen again and are walking the Earth. This is the first of two announcements to help you resolve what has happened and what Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: Season One means[...]

"Remember that pain! Next time it will be worse!" On the day that the snow turned into rain we recorded the second and final of our Shenmue podcasts. Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue II sees Ryo cross the East China Sea in his continuing pursuit of Lan Di, the man who murdered his father. Leon, Darren Forman,[...]

In the first of an occasional series of bonus podcast industry interviews, Leon speaks with Jim Crawford of San Francisco's Twinbeard Studios. Creator of the ambitious, surprising and hilarious browser based Flash game, Frog Fractions, Jim talks to us about Frog Fractions - his biggest hit yet - it's influences and philosophy, as well as[...]

"Guess that one saw the light!" Following a protracted period in well-publicised ‘development hell’, Max Payne developer Remedy’s David Lynch/Stephen King/Rod Serling homage Alan Wake was eventually released on Xbox 360 in May 2010 and almost two years later on PC. Leon, Karl and a returning Jay Taylor review this "psychological thriller", plus we have[...]

"Now you've really crossed the line." The Resident Evil follow-up that metamorphosed into its own IP during development, Hideki Kamiya’s Devil May Cry arrived on the PlayStation 2 to largely rapturous acclaim in 2001. Two years after 2003’s much maligned Devil May Cry 2, director Hideaki Itsuno  bounced back with 2005’s prequel, Devil May Cry[...]

"Heh... you like me that much?" A developer whose hallmark is technical wizardry, Yu Suzuki’s AM2 were responsible for eye-popping innovation throughout the 80s and 90s with arcade titles such as Space Harrier, OutRun and Virtua Fighter. Open-world RPG Shenmue would become his Symphony No. 8, his Sagrada Familia, as wild ambition and development costs swelled beyond sales that were[...]

"Origin of all that is good and mother to us all" During its relatively short existence, Clover Studio produced a triumvirate of significant and memorable titles; Viewtiful Joe, God Hand (each a candidate for a  future Issue of this podcast), and in between those two, their theological folk tale of the wolf deity Amaterasu and her ‘poncle’ - a[...]

"Prepare for unforseen consequences." In the last of our Half-Life series of podcasts, we review both Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two. Beyond this Leon, Darren Gargette, James and Josh speculate upon what may be yet to come for the Half-Life franchise, as well as expressing our hopes and fears for same. As usual[...]

I've got all the patterns down, up until the ninth key... ...I've got Speedy on my tail, and I know it's either him or me. So I'm heading out the back door and in the other side; Gonna eat the cherries up and take them all for a ride. Leon, Josh, Karl and Joystiq's Sinan Kubba successfully avoid[...]

"Am I the only one who understands the meaning of the word "covert?"" Thick-necked, wise-cracking future soldiers shooting the crap out of robots with big guns. In the minds of gamers, SEGA Yakuza Studio’s Binary Domain is what all videogames are like according to non-gamers. Leon, Darren Forman and Sean earn one another's trust as they battle through Toshihiro[...]

Doukutsu Monogatari The late 1990s: Inspired by a host of classic Japanese titles, printer operating systems programmer, Daisuke Amaya, has a dorm-mate teach him how to code video games. The result - five years later - is Doukutsu Monogatari (a.k.a. Cave Story), a freeware arcade adventure in the 8-bit style featuring an idiosyncratic plot and a distinctive cast. A[...]

"Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and shine." Some twenty years after defeating the Nihilanth on Xen, Dr. Gordon Freeman is brought out of stasis by the mysterious G-Man to defend humanity (and the Vortigaunt) against the alien forces who have enslaved the Earth in Half-Life 2. Leon, Josh and Karl combine to couple with[...]

"By 2069 the world will be controlled by giant mega-corporations called Syndicates." They will vie for the minds of a populace helpless to escape their grasp. The dystopia imagined by Starbreeze earlier this year in Syndicate bears more than a passing resemblance to that imagined by Peter Molyneux's Bullfrog in 1993. In the more modern[...]

"Hurry! Before Mizrabel uses her powers of illusion to make herself look like Minnie, and make Minnie look evil like her." Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette and special guest/Mega Drive (Genesis) guru Dan Clark of the AI Bots podcast return to the 16-bit era for a retrospective on these three SEGA AM7 productions for Disney featuring[...]

"Stop praying. This is pathetic." Asura’s Wrath doesn't so much defy description as demand a lengthy one: The game, produced by CyberConnect2 (best known for the .hack and Naruto series’ as well as Solatorobo on the DS and Silent Bomber on the original PlayStation), is a pseudo-episodic Hindu/Buddhist cosmology and anime inspired revenge romp comprising of[...]

"Fascinating! I never suspected such things could be." In 1996 Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington founded Valve Corporation. Employing a team plucked from the cream of the Quake mod scene, they began work on a horror fps (inspired by Stephen King’s novel, The Mist) known as Quiver, along with a darker, more cerebral title (inspired[...]

It's still alive, and cannot apologise: Mirror's Edge We mantle into Volume Two by reflecting on the strange time of 2008, when Electronic Arts were championing new ideas, first-person shooters didn't need guns and freerunning was relatively new to videogames. How was erstwhile Battlefield developer Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment's experiment received? Should they have dropped[...]

"C'mon everybody, check me out: I'm dancin'! I'm dancin!" Oh, there ain’t no rest for the wicked, money don’t grow on trees. I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed, there ain’t nothing in this world for free. In this five-man mega-panel final Issue of Volume One Leon Cox, James Carter, Darren Forman,[...]

We've finally reached the end (for now?) of our Metal Gear series retrospective. In the epic conclusion to our six part Metal Gear 25th Anniversary series Leon, Tony and Jay review 2008’s spectacular but polarising Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. A prematurely ageing Snake is sent by the UN to the war-torn[...]

"You can look me in the eye when I kill you." Melding the comic book stylings of Joe Madureira with Hebrew mythology while lifting structure and mechanics wholesale from other popular franchises, Vigil’s assured 2010 debut Darksiders caught reviewers and gamers by surprise as the sleeper hit of the year. Going on to sell North of[...]

Superbrothers: A tale of Sword & Sworcery, eternally retold Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is a collaboration between designer Craig Adams, developer Capybara and musician Jim Guthrie. A ‘none more indie’, multiple high-concept piece which questions certain conventions of game design while paying homage to others. Released first in 2011 for iOS devices, this oblique[...]

“I don’t know about angels, but it’s fear that gives men wings.” Leon, Tony, James and Karl slo-mo dive - sideways - into their recording seats and review Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment’s second game, 2001’s Max Payne (published by 3D Realms/Rockstar). Mashing up film noir, Norse mythology, Hong Kong action movies and the bullet time[...]

"Don't get your hopes up... Not all humans... look as good as me!" Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette and Josh review Nintendo Software Planning and Development's (so far) trilogy of Rhythm Heaven/Paradise/Tengoku games for Game Boy Advance, DS and Wii. The rhythm action genre was born, to all intents and purposes, in 1996 with NanaOn-Sha’s delightful[...]

"We abandoned our countries. Nothing more." In the penultimate of our six Metal Gear 25th anniversary specials, Leon, Tony, James and Paul Rooney of Ready-Up arrive at the Central America of the 1970’s for Kojima Productions 2010’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Was attempting to follow up 2008’s epic ‘conclusion’ of Metal Gear Solid 4:[...]

Cute and fluffy: that's the team talking Kirby's Epic Yarn. Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette and James get cute with Kirby's Epic Yarn. HAL Laboratories’ pink blob without attitude (unless you regard some of the US box art as canon) Kirby has starred in some twenty Nintendo games over the past two decades. 2010’s Epic Yarn[...]

"Ha ha! I died again!" Leon, Tony, James and Josh discuss Capcom's unusual afterlife puzzle adventure - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - from Shu Takumi, the designer who brought you the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney/Turnabout Trial series of interactive courtroom dramas on GameBoy Advance and DS, and Kyoto's Jupiter Corporation, the team behind Square Enix[...]

"If I become number one, will you do it with me?" Leon, Darren Forman, Josh and Sinan Kubba discuss the tenth game by Goichi Suda’s Grasshopper Manufacture - No More Heroes. The Wii original game released in 2007/2008 to some critical acclaim but pitiful sales. Since then this game has become something of a cult[...]

This week we discuss LostWinds and it's sequel. Frontier Developments’ 2008 WiiWare launch title LostWinds remains one of the highest profile releases for that service, and has since been rewarded with a sequel - also covered here - in the shape of LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias. Both titles have more recently been ported to[...]

"So this is the legendary Boss? We meet at last." In the fourth of our six Metal Gear 25th anniversary series specials Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette, Josh Garrity and Ready-Up’s Paul Rooney are inserted into the Soviet jungle via HALO jump to talk turkey, tree frog and several taxa of fungi. Is 2004’s Bond-tinged, Sixties-set Metal[...]

"I know, so much for clean underwear." Take a trip with Tony, James and Josh as the Cane and Rinse team venture through a rift hole and emerge in the colourful, zany and inventively armed world of Ratchet & Clank. Expect an overview of the decade-old series and an in-depth look at Ratchet & Clank:[...]

"Ain't seen anything like this before..." Grabbin' pills! Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette and special guest David Turner of Joypod discuss Valve's zombie opus Left 4 Dead and its sequel, whilst sharing out the med-packs and watch each others' backs as the Cane and Rinse AI Director funnels them down the podcasting tunnel of love. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_thirty_seven.mp3   Music used[...]

A different sort of a show of this Issue as Cane and Rinse returns to the ever-evolving world of DICE's Battlefield 3 online multiplayer. Leon hosts as hardened veterans Jay Taylor, Tom Bradstock and Don Johnston discuss the game experience then versus now, the tweaks, the server-based controversies, map packs, Premium and the future. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_thirty_six.mp3[...]

Leon, James, Karl and Sean emerge from the Vault to relive their time with Bethesda's Armageddon RPG Fallout 3. Was the mutation from Black Isle's isometric third person 2D to GameBryo's expansive first person 3D essential? We're also treated to some gruesome and hilarious Washington D.C. anecdotes and three word reviews from our fine listenership. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_thirty_five.mp3   Music[...]

Tony, James, Josh and Darren are your panel for two contrasting titles. Strange Loop's Vessel is a puzzle-platformer with a steampunk aesthetic and an emphasis on physics. While thechineseroom's Source Engine adventure Dear Esther exists almost entirely without videogame conventions or ludological concerns, instead focusing entirely on relating a story to the participant. Find out if the[...]

"The world has room for only one big boss!" In the third of our six Metal Gear 25th anniversary specials Leon, Tony, James and Ready-Up's Paul Rooney come to that most controversial of instalments, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Did this much anticipated title represent a new echelon in interactive storytelling, or was[...]

"I'll give you a mouthful of love, punk!" Leon, Tony, Karl and Darren Forman don their muscle suits and slogan-daubed space armour while reloading their shotties one-handed and swearing as they return to EA's 2011 blaster Bulletstorm. Is People Can Fly's whiplash orgy as much fun as you can have with only a controller in[...]

This week we deliberate over Thatgamecompany's offerings. In this Issue Leon, Tony, Josh and Sean review the outstanding, innovative titles produced during Thatgamecompany's three game deal with Sony; the soothing flOw, the beautiful Flower and the emotional Journey. The panel also contemplate the developer's future after Kellee Santiago's departure and their PlayStation exclusivity. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_thirty_one.mp3  [...]

"You too will come to understand fear, as I have." In 2002 Silicon Knights produced Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, a GameCube exclusive survival horror yarn. Leon, Tony, Karl and Darren Gargette return to the Roivas mansion to discover whether or not this Lovecraft infused adventure remains as startling as it was ten years ago. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_thirty.mp3[...]

"...For the first time in my life... I am afraid." Leon, Tony, James and Darren Forman return to Persia and Ubisoft's (so far) one-off reboot of the Prince of Persia franchise, Prince of Persia (2008). Discussed are the controversial difficulty (or lack of), the controversial art style and the controversial ending (or lack of) -[...]

"So you're the one that the Boss keeps talking about." In the second of six planned Metal Gear specials, Leon, Tony, James and Ready-Up's Paul Rooney go large on the series' 1998 32-bit début - Metal Gear Solid. In a self-imposed-length-limitation-defying podcast, we get deep into Solid Snake's island adventure and revisit just what made it so[...]

In this show we exchange views on Gaijin's BIT. TRIP series. Leon, Joshua and Darren join Commander Video on his "journey of the soul" with this in-depth look at every one of the six games in Gaijin's BIT.TRIP series. All retro style over substance or inspired expression of pure gameplay? Furthermore, why are they all so[...]

"There's always a little light in the darkness." Tony, Joshua, Karl and Darren Gargette take a look back Starbreeze Studios' The Darkness, along with its more recent sequel, The Darkness II.  Is its play style truly unique or an excuse to have everyone's heads ripped of by small demons? http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_twenty_six.mp3   Music used in this[...]

"Oi! You! With the moustache! Yeah, you!" Mario's unsung sibling got his own gig in 2001 for the launch of the Nintendo GameCube. Leon, Tony, Darren Gargette and GameBurst's Gary Blower return to Luigi's Mansion to investigate whether the foundations of its reputation are sound. The panel also speculate as to what the forthcoming 3DS[...]

Multiple sinners Leon, Tony, Josh and Sean journey into the afterlife to revisit Playdead's 2010 début, LIMBO. The panel proffer some theories as to what the heck is going on in the game, discuss their own experiences as well of those of our community and burn through a pyre of your Twitter Three Word Reviews.[...]

Solid Snake! I've been expecting you... In the first of our Metal Gear podcasts, Leon, Tony, James Carter and Ready-Up's Paul Rooney return to the series' MSX2 origins with the original 1987 Metal Gear and its 1990 sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. We also cover off a few of the other non-canon spin-offs and[...]

"It'll be better than the old days... You'll see!" Leon, Darren Forman and Josh Garrity climb back aboard the Normandy to once again explore BioWare's rich, galaxy-spanning fiction. Do the earlier games in the Mass Effect series justify the fever for the third? http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_twenty_two.mp3   Music used in this show is as follows: 1: Mass Effect[...]

"Steef! Steef! Steef! Steef!" In which Leon, Tony and Darren Gargette attempt to establish whether Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath's hallowed reputation is justified, as well as delving into the history of Oddworld; from Abe's days as a prestigious PSone platform star, through Munch's brief time in the sun to Stranger and what the future may hold[...]

In this 20th issue of the podcast Leon, Tony, James and Josh go to town on Michel Ancel's lush 2011 UBIart platformer Rayman Origins, as well as taking a fairly comprehensive look at the Ubisoft franchise's chequered history. Furthermore we consider Beyond Good & Evil 2 - will it finally get made now? http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_twenty.mp3   Music used[...]

"My Wonderland is shattered. It's dead to me." Leon, Tony, James and Darren G try to get into the mind of American McGee and his take on Lewis Carroll's young heroine in Alice: Madness Returns. We also discuss a developer slapping his own name on a game box; does this stem from arrogance, justifiable pride[...]

"People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven." In this week's issue, Leon Cox, Tony Atkins, James Carter and Joshua Garrity venture back to the wilds of New Austin, West Elizabeth and Nuevo Paradiso to discuss their opinions on Rockstar Games' cowboy themed 2010 opus Red Dead Redemption. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighteen.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: Bury[...]

"I would have been your daddy, but that dog beat me over the fence." This week Leon and Tony are joined by Karl Moon and, making his Cane and Rinse podcast debut, Darren Gargette, to discuss 343 Industries' 2001 opus Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_seventeen.mp3   Music used in this issue: 1: Pale Rider by[...]

Leon and Tony interview the internet enigma that is Adam Capone, starting with his transatlantic career within the games industry and then about his extracurricular activities such as his Joypod shenanigans and the infamous Peter Molydeux (@petermolydeux). http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_sixteen.mp3   Music used in this issue: Track 1: Track 44 by Trond Viggo-Melssen Track 2: Paranoid by[...]

To conclude our thoughts on the year in videogames that was 2011, Cane and Rinse contributors Karl Moon, Darren Gargette, James Carter, Joshua Garrity and Darren Foreman each offer their own personal perspectives on the previous twelve months of digital delights. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_fifteen.mp3   Music used in this issue: Track 1: Lacrimosa by Jason Graves Track[...]

For the first podcast of 2012 Leon and Tony gather up the vestiges of the holiday season (some Thornton's chocolates & Crabbie's ginger beer), huddle round a crackling open fire and reflect upon the gaming year that was 2011. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_fourteen.mp3   Cane and Rinse 14 was edited by Jay Taylor Do you have an opinion about[...]

A less structured than usual and festively combative issue this week as Leon, Tony, Jay and Karl assemble to trade shots over EA/DICE's Battlefield 3. Is the single player as poor as the reviews suggest? Does the co-op match up to Modern Warfare's Spec Ops? And is the multiplayer the be-all and end-all of competitive[...]

In this issue Leon, Tony, Josh and Darren revisit two full-on action games from Japanese 'super-group' developer PlatinumGames. Bookending 2010, Bayonetta and Vanquish embraced their medium, but does such disregard for serious narrative hold up in the homes of the 2010's as it did in the arcades of the 1980's and 1990's? We also speculate[...]

Leon, James, Josh, Sean and Ready-Up's Dan Bendon return to review Square Enix' late summer 2011 smash, Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Did Eidos Montreal's prequel do justice to the legacy of Ion Storm's seminal 2000 original and justify those stellar scores, or was it a case of "right place, right time" for a game which[...]

"No matter what happens now, you done good kid." Leon, James, Josh and Sean are joined by Ready-Up's Dan Bendon to air and share their views and opinions of one of 2011's stand-out downloadable releases, SuperGiant Games' Bastion. Sublimely artful, playable and important title or "artsy", pretentious bobbins with mediocre mechanics? Find out what each[...]

"Isaac... make us whole again." In this issue Leon, Jay, Darren and Josh brave a return to the USG Ishimura for Dead Space, then later pop to The Sprawl for some last minute shopping and religious indoctrination in Dead Space 2. The crew also take a squint at the many Dead Space spin-offs: games, animations,[...]

"Demon keeps a-dreamin' of a demon town..." In part one Leon, Tony, Joshua Garrity and newcomer Sean O'Brien take an express elevator to Hell and back to cast eight demonic eyes over Grasshopper Manufacture's remarkable Shadows of the Damned. *Please accept our apologies for the substandard sound quality in this section; due to technical problems[...]

The gloves are off this week as no fewer than five panellists tear it up over Ninja Theory's passion-inspiring pair. Hosts Leon and Tony are joined by regular contributor Darren Forman as well as Cane and Rinse debutants Paul Rooney (Ready-Up) and Gary Blower (Gameburst) to reconsider the merits and drawbacks of this striking duo[...]

"We work in the dark, to serve the light" This week, in preparation for the forthcoming Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Tony Atkins, Jay Taylor, Karl Moon and James Carter discuss Ubisoft's popular Assassin's Creed franchise, from their thoughts on the ongoing story to the various gameplay elements. Does the series still have the ability to keep[...]

"You ever feel like you're dead, but no one told you?" An uncommonly up-to-date show this week as we cast eight compound eyes over Epic's Locust-infested trilogy-completer, Gears of War 3. Leon and Tony are joined by Darren Forman and Karl Moon to discuss all aspects of the title, from the dramatic campaign through to[...]

"But heed this: the price you pay may be heavy indeed." These two great stories of four young people: ICO, Yorda, Wander, Mono and the eerie yet beautiful land(s) they live in have been rewarded with a sumptuous HD re-release on PlayStation 3. What better time for a Cane and Rinse retrospective? Leon, Tony and[...]

Our first interview subject on Cane and Rinse is the multi-talented industry veteran James Mielke. He describes his remarkable career path from comic illustrator to producer at Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q-Entertainment, via (amongst other things) clothes designer and bar manager, not to mention Editor-In-Chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly & 1UP.com. We also explore Q's output past[...]

"Better try a new trick 'cause that one's getting old!" Leon Cox is joined by Jay Taylor, Darren Forman and Joshua Garrity to worship and/or butcher this most sacred of videogaming ganados, Resident Evil 4. We explore the game's protracted development, discuss where it fits - or doesn't - within the BioHazard canon and consider[...]

"My vengeance... ends now!" For the first show proper Leon, Tony and Jay are joined by Darren Forman to discuss Sony Santa Monica's God of War III. We also turn our thoughts to other games in the God of War franchise and discuss Kratos' future. As well as this we then investigate the respective design[...]

The "Dummy" Issue A shorter than usual podcast allowing us to introduce ourselves and give a little background on both our gaming and podcasting histories as well as setting out our aims for the show proper and accompanying blog. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_zero.mp3   Do you have an opinion about this podcast in genera or maybe you have[...]