GOTY 2025 Check-In

GOTY 2025 Check-In

Author: Samuel Roberts and Matthew Castle May 16, 2025 Duration: 1:19:59

Our guest cancelled! Gah. Well, here's an episode we airlifted out of our collective asses. Hopefully it's not too bad with two days' notice to plan it.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


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
The Best Games of 2004 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:41:46
We rewind the clock to 2004, and discuss some of the most important and influential games ever made (plus the demo of Mashed) across two top 10 lists.This week's music is from the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack…
From N64 Magazine to Crime Fiction (with Tim Weaver) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:06:37
Bestselling crime fiction author Tim Weaver is our guest this week. Of course, long-time print readers will know him best for his work on the magazines N64 and NGC! This is a Matthew-only episode, as the pair have known…
Arcade Machine Collecting and Making Videos (with Mike Channell) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39:21
Outside Xbox's Mike Channell joins us this week to discuss his journey from magazines like PC Format and OXM to being very well-known on the internet. Plus, in the second part, hear about Mike's more recent hobby of acqu…
The PS2 Games Mega-Draft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:45:59
The PlayStation 2 is arguably the greatest video games console of all time. Over 44 competing picks for the system's best games, Matthew, Samuel and two other Giant Men – Dave Scarborough and Ashley Day – will prove why.…
Games Court Is Back For 2025! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:54:45
Games Court is back! 23 listeners' pre-owned purchases go on trial in front of Judge Castle. Only the pathetic attorney Samuel Roberts can save them (or help send them to their deaths).This one is strong in the first hal…
2025 Gaming Predictions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:45
One hour of totally unfounded waffle and pointless commentary. This week's music is from the Super Mario Odyssey soundtrack by Naoto Kubo, Shiho Fujii and Koji Kondo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor…
The Best Games of 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:49:54
Two top 10 lists of our favourite games from 2024. This week's music is from the Balatro soundtrack by LouisF. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Alternative GOTY Awards 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:18:28
Silly awards from silly men, ahead of the real GOTY pod next week. Thanks to this year's guests, too, for providing insights on their favourite games of 2024.This week's music is from the FF7 Rebirth soundtrack by Mitsut…
The Sub-80 Metacritic Games Draft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:47:08
Each host must pick the best 10 games that have a score of 79 or less on Metacritic! But who will win out with that tricky criteria in mind? And what gold (if any) lies within the amber ranks of the reviews aggregator? V…