Games Court 2026

Games Court 2026

Author: Samuel Roberts and Matthew Castle February 20, 2026 Duration: 1:52:59
Judge Castle tackles listeners' moral dilemmas in the return of podcasting's worst format.

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Tucked away from the frantic news cycle, The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast offers a space for longer conversations about the games and the industry that shape our hobby. Hosts Samuel Roberts and Matthew Castle bring their combined decades of experience from publications like PC Gamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, and gamesTM to every discussion. This isn't just a review show; it's a deep dive into the culture, history, and personal stories behind the pixels. You'll hear them dissect new releases with a critic's eye, reminisce about forgotten gems, and unpack the oddities of working in games journalism itself. The tone is warm, informed, and often wryly humorous, feeling more like eavesdropping on two friends in a pub than a formal broadcast. Each episode of this podcast builds on their professional insights but is driven by a genuine, enduring passion for the medium. The result is a consistently engaging listen for anyone who thinks about games beyond the credits screen. John Strike provides the distinctive logo, and Barry 'Epoch' Topping crafts the theme tune, giving the whole production a personal, crafted feel from start to finish.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Three Giant Men Play Grand Theft Auto IV (with Jeremy Peel) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:47:15
Having conquered GTA III (kind of), Vice City and San Andreas (plus Bully, which is sort of a GTA), it's time for the definitive Back Page podcast on 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV. Joining us to dissect the first HD GTA is…
2026 Gaming Predictions + Fantasy Critics Draft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40:04
26 (or so) predictions about 2026, based on nothing whatsoever. Plus: our 2025 predictions revisited, and our 5 picks for this year's fantasy draft.This week's music is from the Trauma Center: Second Opinion soundtrack b…
The Best Games of 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:22:10
Two top 10 lists of the best games from 2025. This week's music is from the Promise Mascot Agency soundtrack by Peter McCaughan and Ryo Koike.Want to play Matthew's number 3? Head here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…
The Alternative GOTY Awards 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59:05
Need a video game awards show with dumb categories no company would ever sponsor? We've got your back, once again.Thanks to all our returning guests from this year for dropping in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…
The Top Emotional Moments in Games (with Lucy Blundell) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:30:30
This episode is all about the games that hit players with emotional gut punches. You get 50 minutes of nice preamble with returning guest, indie developer Lucy Blundell, then 1 hour+ of our combined 15 top emotional mome…
Top 5 Metroid Games (with Jay Baylis) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59:36
Cassette Beasts developer and all-round great video game thinker Jay Baylis joins us once again! In time for the release of Metroid Prime 4, Matthew and Jay each share their top 5 games in Nintendo's series.This is the C…
The Back Page Episode + ARC Raiders (with Phil Savage) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:02:05
The podcast eats itself! The Back Page finally dedicates a whole episode to its namesake. How do back page jokes go wrong? And what about the less frequent times when they go well? Returning guest Phil Savage, Global Edi…