Shows / The Nextlander Podcast
The Nextlander Podcast
Longtime friends and games media colleagues Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker, and Alex Navarro share their combined decades of knowledge, expertise, and passion for games with weekly discussions about what they're playing, what's happening in the industry, and whatever else they're up to.
Episodes
The Nextlander Podcast214: Bubsy Is a Draft Dodger
This week we get into a young man's first Mass Effect, Brad's tumble back down the Death Stranding 2 hole, Vinny finishing Shinobi, Alex making stern faces at…
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213: The Garbage-to-Gold Ratio
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is our top game this week, plus one of us gets an up-close look at Bubsy 4D, the Hollow Knight Silksong release date fallout, Forza…
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212: Cheaters Never Win
This week: New video games! Sword of the Sea, Is This Seat Taken?, and yes, the annual Madden check-in. In the news, PS5 price increases in the US, Halo on a…
- The Nextlander Podcast
211: Destroy the Mouth!
This week we get extra retro with Gradius Origins, Operation Night Strikers, The Scouring, and (in a way) Mafia: The Old Country. Also: pressure builds inside…
- The Nextlander Podcast
210: From EV to EVO
Alex dips back into the FGC tournament scene and then mixes it up with Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Vinny takes the long EV trip and finishes DK Bananza, and Brad…
- The Nextlander Podcast
209: Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Wheel
Video games! We talk about some this week, like Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Wheel World, Grounded 2, Wildgate, and more DK Bananza, plus news like the purging of…
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208: Oh, Banana!
The gang's all here and going, uh, bananas for Donkey Kong Bananza, plus Shadow Labyrinth, The Drifter, and more Death Stranding and MindsEye. In the news…
The Nextlander Podcast207: The Unified Megami Tensei Theory
Friend of the show Lex Luddy joins us to talk about how Death Stranding 2 holds up, the Megami Tensei Universe, and what exactly constitutes an Irish Pub…
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Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 008: Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time!
We're on break this week, so we bring you another hit from the Never Been a Better archives, when Abby Russell and Austin Walker joined us to talk about dream…
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206: When Everything Is an Xbox, Nothing Is an Xbox
We unfortunately have to start this week's episode with the brutal cuts at Xbox, which saw studios shuttered and projects like Everwild and Perfect Dark…
- The Nextlander Podcast
205: Altered Beast Is Not a Beat 'Em Up
Death Stranding 2 is upon us and dominates the first hour of the show this week, Vinny finished Clair Obscur, Brad will (probably not) be playing more Hopshot…
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204: My Favorite Balls
It's the season of Fests (both Summer Game and Steam Next) and between the two, one metric tonne of video games is discussed on the show this week, including…
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203: Three Games Makes a Launch Lineup
Between the Switch 2's arrival, hours of Summer Game Fest streams, and Brad's return from checking out many games (and one above-it-all cat) in Los Angeles, a…
- The Nextlander Podcast
202: How Tight Is Your Frunk?
Based on feedback from last week this might just be a car podcast now, but we also discuss the Switch 2 launch news that's starting to trickle out, Brad's deep…
- The Nextlander Podcast
201: Mark Ruffalo as the Dung Eater
It's time to talk into microphones about video games (and other things) once again, with chat this week about To a T, TMNT Tactical Takedown, Siegecaster, the…
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200: The Return of Edge Casey
TWO HUNDRED EPISODES? We don't believe it either, but believe this: We cover everything from Sunderfolk to Deliver at All Costs, Fortnite's AI Darth Vader…
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199: Need for Affleck
This week: There's a new Doom game out and court has adjourned long enough for Brad to deliver a verdict on it, Vinny clicks around in Loco Motive, we debate…
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198: I'm Worth It!
We attempt to grapple with the job losses at Polygon and Giant Bomb (and dig into some of our own time at GB) this week, before diving into the ARC Raiders…
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197: Mind Your Ps and Es
We're awash in games this week with Skin Deep, Clair Obscur, the Marathon alpha, and a bunch of other stuff we're continuing to play. In the news, the…
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196: He's Got Gambling Hair
We played a slew of games this week like Tempest Rising, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, Bionic Bay, and more Blue Prince and Battle Aces, plus: the Switch…
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195: StreetPassing at the Spiritbox Show
This week, Blue Prince has snared a couple of us (sort of), another couple of us can't seem to stop playing AC Shadows, and... Gradius III makes a surprise…
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Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 007: I Definitely Saw No Hemipenis!
While we're out this week, we bring you another blast from the Never Been a Better past, all the way back in December 2022, when Abby Russell and Jeff Bakalar…
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194: This Issue Is Being Investigated
It happened: They took the wraps off the Switch 2 (for real this time). Will Smith joins us to break down the price, hardware specs and features, backwards…
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193: Last Time in the Ding-Dong Hole
We've got one week left before the big Switch 2 reveal, so hop in the ding-dong hole for one last round of rumors and speculation, plus plenty of other chatter…
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192: A Grunge Smoothie
We talk for like an hour about Assassin's Creed Shadows this week, plus 33 Immortals, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (big week for 33 around here), Keita…
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191: Pillows of Eternity
There might be an Xbox handheld launching this year (?!), plus the actual next Xbox in 2027, and we get together to talk all about that, along with the fairly…
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190: Big Buccaneer Hunter
While we spend a good part of this week's show grappling with the resurrection of the Acclaim name, we also find time to discuss Split Fiction, Knights in…
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189: Return to the Upper Yo
This week we attempt to get back to the positive end of the yo-yo cycle by playing Monster Hunter Wilds, LAD: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, more Avowed, and some…
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188: The Garrus Gambit
This week we're wowed by Avowed (sorry), and also playing Void Crew, Keep Driving, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. In the news, shocking Marvel Rivals layoffs…
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187: A Podcast About A Game About Digging a Hole
Brad and Vinny dig holes this week and have a great time doing it, Alex dons his Civilization hat once again, and we all consider this weekend's mysterious PSN…
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186: The Blood God Jonathan Davis
Before February really gets going, we check in with some new indies this week like While Waiting and Rift of the Necrodancer, catch up on news about downsizing…
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185: An A-Tier Pac-Main
We played a bunch of games this week and now we're here to talk about 'em, including Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Total War: Warhammer III, Crow…
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184: The Fear & Greed Index
We've got a spate of new and upcoming games to talk about this week, including Assassin's Creed Shadows, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Dynasty Warriors Origins…
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183: Creative Solutions to Stupid Problems
Are they going to announce the Switch 2 this week? Did they announce it already? Is this long nightmare almost over? While we debate those questions, we also…
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182: Dumped in a Food Court
We're barely a week into 2025 and we basically already know what the Switch 2 looks like thanks to CES, plus new GeForce cards, PlayStation movies, and Steam…
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181: Game of the Year 2024, Part 2
We conclude our rundown of our favorite games of the year this week, focusing on the top four spots on each of our personal top 10 lists, plus some honorable…
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180: Game of the Year 2024, Part 1
This year, we get together for a nice, casual, conflict-free two-part dissection of our personal favorite games of the year, with a focus in this first…
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179: Zenless Zone Zenzo
Sandwiched right between 2024's game calendar winding down and our GOTY podcasts kicking off next week, why... it's the Game Awards! We spend this week's show…
The Nextlander Podcast178: creepy brother sister coffee commercial
The holidays approach, so we're in GOTY cramming mode with discussions this week about such games as Indiana Jones, Mouthwashing, Infinity Nikki, Beyond…
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177: San Francisco's Not a Minion Town
We're back from Thanksgiving and catching up on the news (Sony might be making a handheld, Ubisoft is shutting down Xdefiant, NES Tetris returns at last)…
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Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 006: The World's Greatest Detective in Your Mouth
With the NXL crew off for the holiday, we bring you another very special episode of Never Been a Better Podcast featuring Austin Walker, Jeff Bakalar, and…
The Nextlander Podcast176: Positive Hanson Energy
MinnMax's Ben Hanson stops by to share production stories, his love for Final Fantsy 7: Rebirth, his thoughts on The Game Awards nominees, and much more!…
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175: Wouldst Thou Like to Switch Deliciously?
This week, video games and the people who love them: the PlayStation 5 Pro, Rise of the Golden Idol, Tetris Forever, the return of Battle Aces, backwards…
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174: Another One in the Woods With Spirits
Time to talk about video games into microphones again, with chatter this week about the great Call of Duty account fiasco, Metal Slug Tactics, Dragon Age: The…
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173: Consider Duck Hunt
They did it: they shipped a new Dragon Age game, and we grapple with this momentous event, along with the definitive end of Concord and Firewalk Studios, a…
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172: The Bloober Redemption Arc
New on the show this week: Fear the Spotlight, Neva, and some hot Steam Next Fest recs. Plus, follow-ups on the Silent Hill 2 remake, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom…
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171: It's-a Morning!
This week on the show we discuss Vinny's journey into the wilds of Windows 11, games like Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Phoenix Springs, and…
The Nextlander Podcast170: Behind the Blizzard
Jason Schreier joins us on a deep dive about the history, making, and almost undoing of Blizzard as chronicled in his new book Play Nice. Advertise on The…
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169: Spookin' with Scoops
What gets horror aficionado Patrick Klepek scared? Find out as he joins us to chat scary movies, Echoes of Wisdom, and much more! Advertise on The Nextlander…
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168: Survive? Let's Thrive!
Assassin's Creed Shadows got delayed in the middle of this podcast, so we discuss that, Ghost of Yotei, Vinny's trip to the Grand Canyon to play Flight…
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167: Epic Wendingos
We're deep into the fall games now, with in-depth discussion of UFO 50 and Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, plus follow-ups on Space Marine 2, Satisfactory 1.0…
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166: The East Coast Mario Island
Jeff Bakalar is here this week to chat with us about the later parts of Astro Bot, Utopia Must Fall, I Am Your Beast, the PS5 Pro (and its $700 price tag), the…
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165: September Will Kill Again
They're, uh, shutting down Concord after less than two weeks, so we all take some time to grapple with this fairly startling news, along with hands-on thoughts…
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164: Ringo Snubs Queen!
There's a whole stack of games discussed this week, including Tactical Breach Wizards, Black Myth Wukong, Concord, Castaway, and Cygni: All Guns Blazing. Plus…
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163: The Daimyo of Tatooine
Rob Zacny joins us to discuss where to find the good Star Wars and to get at what's eating away at Darth Vader, our thoughts on Gamescom Opening Night Live…
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162: Silly British
We're back from break with two weeks' worth of pent-up video game talk about Thank Goodness You're Here, the new Madden, PSVR2 on PC, World of Goo 2, and…
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Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 005: Where We Learn About Phrogging
We're out on break this week, so we bring you another episode from the Never Been a Better Podcast archive, this time from October 2022, when Halloween was in…
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161: A Jedi Named Kyle
With Vinny out, Will Smith drops by to tell us about playing a few hours of Star Wars Outlaws, plus Earth Defense Force 6's giant bugs and Clickolding's, uh…
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160: The Megatron-Contra Affair
The summer games are really piling up as we discuss Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, the Marvel Rivals beta, Flintlock, Arranger, and more. In the…
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159: This Guy's Gonna Fight a Baby!
Vinny braves the wilds of NYC to check out some upcoming PS5 games (and braves the end of FF7 Rebirth to boot), we're all playing a bunch of new games like…