The Alternative GOTY Awards 2025

The Alternative GOTY Awards 2025

Author: Samuel Roberts and Matthew Castle December 19, 2025 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 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: 50

The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast
Podcast Episodes
A Few Game Design Crimes More (with Jamie Smith) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:04:02
From outlawing the L3 and R3 buttons to combat-oriented games with bad platforming sections, our listeners have submitted 12 more possible game design crimes for Room 101...sorry, Room 64 (double copyright infringement!)…
How to Make a Sequel to a Successful Video Game (with Jay Baylis) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:14
How many ideas get saved from the original game when you're making a sequel? Does it cost more money to make a follow-up? How do you make sure an indie sequel doesn't vanish without a trace?Our returning guest Jay Baylis…
The Best Games of 1997 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:48:04
Stepping outside our 2000s comfort zone, this week we're sharing our two top 10 lists from 1997 in the first of a new quadrilogy of pods. Expect 1998, 1999 and 2000 episodes in the coming months.This week's music is from…
Mailbag [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53:26
What if IO Interactive made an Austin Powers game? Which game has been called overrated and underrated so many times that it's now just 'rated'? And why do some big games only get 1-page reviews in magazines?All that and…