2025 Year in Review

2025 Year in Review

Author: Pickaxe December 30, 2025 Duration: 1:32:26
In some ways, the origin story of the podcast can be traced back to Sentinels of the Multiverse. Upon arriving in Kingston, Mark was at a games event at someone's home, and he saw that someone had brought a then-complete set (this was a few expansions ago) of Sentinels. He knew that this person, namely Walker, was a person worth knowing. It therefore seemed fitting that on one of Mark's last days in Kingston that he, Walker, Huey, Dewey, and Louis play Sentinels. Games Played Last Week: 02:38 -Zenith (Grégory Grard & Mathieu Roussel, PlayPunk, 2025) 08:18 -Race for the Galaxy (Thomas Lehmann, Rio Grande Games, 2007) 11:20 -Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice (Reiner Knizia, AMIGO, 2021) 12:19 -Word Traveler (Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance, Office Dog, 2024) 16:05 -Sentinels of the Multiverse (Christopher Badell, Paul Bender, & Adam Rebottaro, Greater Than Games, 2011) 19:30 -The Druids of Edora (Stefan Feld, alea, 2025) 24:50 -The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship (Matt Leacock, Z-Man Games, 2025) 27:58 -Toy Battle (Paolo Mori & Alessandro Zucchini, Repos Production, 2025) 31:43 -MicroMacro: Kids - Crazy City Park (Johannes Sich, Edition Spielwiese, 2025) 32:50 -Concept Kids: Animals (Gaëtan Beaujannot & Alain Rivollet, Repos Production, 2018) 33:51 -Tumblin' Dice (Carey Grayson, Randy Nash, and Rick Soued, Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2004) 2025 in Review 35:45 Top 10 57:42 Game of the Year 1:00:18 Special Categories Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Mike Walker and Mark Bigney, So Very Wrong About Games digs into the world of hobby gaming with a blend of sharp critique and genuine enthusiasm. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair at a table where two knowledgeable friends are deep in conversation, dissecting everything from the latest releases to timeless classics. They believe that a bad game deserves a thorough examination just as much as a great one, applying that same level of detailed analysis to reviews, industry news, and broader gaming topics. This isn't about following trends or generating hype; it's about thoughtful discussion that respects both the listener's time and the context in which games are made and played. The dynamic between Walker and Bigney captures a fundamental truth about the hobby-that taking games seriously and having fun with them are not mutually exclusive. You'll find their approach both refreshing and deeply engaging, whether they're championing an overlooked gem or meticulously explaining why a popular title didn't work for them. Tune in to this Pickaxe-produced podcast for honest, substantive talk that treats the medium with the depth it often deserves, but rarely receives in casual conversation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

So Very Wrong About Games
Podcast Episodes
#332: Undaunted 2200: Callisto [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:39
Once again, a primer on some of the differences between the US and Canada. We Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in early October, in honour of our second governor general, the Right Honourable October G. Thanksington. Rat…
#331: Our Favourite Factions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:35
It is October, the month of Fat Bear Week, Decorative Gourd Season, Halloween, and Arkhipov Day! Sure, it has less candy than some of those other celebrations, but I'll wager neither a corpulent bear nor a kid dressed as…
#330: Andromeda's Edge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:07
Generally we here at SVWAG prefer sci-fi to fantasy, especially if it is of the general sort. There is something joyous about the weird flights of fancy that sci-fi can enable, such as Andromeda's Edge with its "Jelluloi…
#329: Replayability [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:54
If you replayed all the published SVWAG episodes back-back, it would take over 355 hours, or almost 15 days. This is not necessarily how we would recommend you spend your time. Indeed, for our purposes, we are equally wr…
#328: The Vale of Eternity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:01
I find so many mnemonics to be profoundly disappointing. Unless there's a structural element to tie the components together, a mnemonic will not serve to dispositively disambiguate a dyad. I assure you, that lamentable b…
#327: Game Mastery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:03
Solidarity, dear listeners, on this most august September Labour Day. Of course, Labour Day is the labour holiday invented for the US and Canada so as to undermine global solidarity. Nearly everywhere else celebrates Int…
#326: Deep Rock Galactic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:57
Some important editorial notes! -the game walker mentioned is Völuspá, and no we don't know what work those accents are doing; -SVWAG does not engage in the eating of seal meat (no one's thought to offer, really); -we ho…
#325: Collection Organization [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:09
The full title of the Spider Lord is Spider the Third, by the Grace of God of the Unfinished Basement, Canada and His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Subterranean, Defender of the Faith. 01:56 AYURIS: Gink…
#324: Design Pet Peeves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:41
It is Festivus once again here at SVWAG, where we shall once again vent our collective spleen over features of games that irk us. Sometimes we will assert that our umbrage is righteous and ought to be shared, and other t…
#323: Wilmot's Warehouse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:11
Who is this Wilmot? What wares is he housing? Few answers are offered. We are merely told, rather imperiously, that we work at his warehouse. Sure, we have weekends off, but on occasion the fickle demiurge Wilmot command…