It’s good to be back.
Geekscape’s long-running video game news, reviews, and opinion podcast, Geekscape Games, met its bitter end back in November of last year. A stellar one on one conversation with my good friend and world-record holding classic game speedrunner Ryan (aka Sidetrakkd) would unknowingly bookend the series, which released more than 175 episodes over more than four years. Its end was a whirlwind of shock and heartbreak, and so I decided to take a break from things while I figured out what to do next.
https://soundcloud.com/geekscape-games/bonus-level-getting-sidetrakkd-with-ryan-schultz
That break has lasted a little longer than anticipated. I had a blast covering Emerald City Comic-Con, along the odd thing here and there for Geekscape, but as our brand continues to evolve I also spent some time trying to figure out just what was the next step in my Geekscape journey.
In the months following the end of Geekscape Games, gaming itself often felt challenging for me. I spent time playing a number of acclaimed titles, but it often felt as though they simply couldn’t keep my attention for more than an hour or two. The only game in the last five months that really, truly enamoured me was 4A Games’ unbelievable Metro: Exodus back in February.
It took some time, but I slowly began to realize that as important as experiencing the games themselves is, what often truly drove me to play was the opportunity to talk about those games with my friends. When looking back on my time with Geekscape Games, the sections that stood out the most to me (and I’m sure not only to me), was not the detailing of current news or controversy or upcoming releases, but the actual discussions and thoughts and questions that arose of the games we were playing. These conversations felt real and organic, and I think said a lot of each host not only about who we are as gamers, but who we are as people.
Long story short, I realized that at this point in my life, I just really wanted to talk about video games with my friends.
Anyone who listened to the old show also knows just how much of a fan I am of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service. The subscription really is an incredible value (to the point where I’m actually subscribed through next year to anticipate that monthly cost inevitably going up), and has saved me hundreds upon hundreds of dollars as I’ve played through games on Game Pass instead of buying them at retail. Some of my favourite games from last year, like Rare’s own Sea of Thieves captivated me for weeks and weeks (read my review here) when it released on Game Pass… the exact same day that it hit store shelves (and you bet that the upcoming story and anniversary updates will bring me back). That’s because with Xbox Game Pass, every Microsoft Studios published game that releases also hits Game Pass on day one, effectively saving you nearly $100 a pop (I live in Canada) whenever a new first-party game releases.
As incredible as the savings have been, they’re not even my favourite part of the service. The diversity of the games on Game Pass have led to some absolutely incredible gaming experiences that I would have never had had the service not existed. For example, I don’t play many driving/racing games. Forza Horizon 4 looked very pretty, but there’s no way that I would have dropped that cool hundie on it. That said, I’d totally download it as part of the subscription I’m already paying for… And I did, and I spent dozens of hours on it, and it was an absolutely beautiful gem of a video game that I would have completely missed out on otherwise.
I’ve had some phenomenal experiences with a multitude of titles on Xbox Game Pass, but what am I still missing out on? What potentially hidden gems am I overlooking for one reason or another each and every time that I scroll through the ever-growing list of Game Pass titles?
What if the control was taken away? What if I was simply a passenger, forced to play whatever random game was selected for me?
Welcome to Geekscape’s newest gaming podcast, Xbox Game Passengers.
Every other Wednesday beginning on May 1st, a guest and I will break down and discuss one game available on Microsoft’s Game Pass service, which was chosen for us completely at random.
Whether it’s a magical or a horrible experience, we’ll force ourselves through it, share our thoughts, and let you know whether or not the game is worth your time. At the end of each episode, we’ll also be randomly selecting the game for the following show.
There are really just a couple of rules to the selection and discussion process (at least for now), and those are:
1. If the game selected is a story-heavy sequel, and the first game in the series is also on Xbox Game Pass, then the hosts will play the first game instead.
2. Hosts do not discuss their thoughts prior to recording, so they can hear each other’s impressions live on air.
To kick things off, Geekscape’s own Mikaela Maxwell joined me to tackle Disneyland Adventures. Look for this first episode wherever you get your podcasts next Wednesday, May 1st, with new episodes releasing bi-weekly following that!
You probably want to subscribe (and share with your friends!) to the show already, don’t you? Here’s where you can find Xbox Game Passengers:
Anchor: https://anchor.fm/xboxgamepassengers
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xbox-game-passengers/id1460683080
Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/xbox-game-passengers
Google Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/GamePassengersGoogle
Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1460683080/xbox-game-passengers
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/lg22
PodBean: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/kzkie-8f0ae/Xbox-Game-Passengers-Podcast
RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/xbox-game-passengers-8gKOon
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5JSshr8x6CIGIBt7wTWMWs
Missing your platform of choice? Drop me a message on twitter, or email me at derek@geekscape.net and let me know where else you’d like to see the show!