Big Red Potion » Main Shows

54. Bubbles (The End)

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:05:29 +0000

This is the final episode of Big Red Potion. The topic is gaming bubbles i.e. periods during which certain genres have enjoyed great success only for the bubble to eventually burst. Host Sinan Kubba is joined by regular guests Jeffrey Matulef, Gary ‘Xantiriad’ Blower, and Eddie Inzauto. The episode features closing messages from Joe DeLia and Sinan.

53: Motion Controls Retrospective

Sinan Kubba — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:08:05 +0000

Host Sinan Kubba is joined by regular guests Xantiriad and (a sadly fleeting) Joseph DeLia, and also by special guest Tony Atkins of Cane and Rinse and SuperHappyFunTimeShow. The four take a look back at how motion controls have (or have not) influenced and evolved the games industry.

52: Narrative Urgency

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:12:02 +0000

Host Sinan Kubba is joined by regular guests Jeffrey Matulef and Eddie Inzauto to discuss narrative urgency and its relevance to telling good stories in video games.

51.5: The Awards

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:42:00 +0000

This segment was cut out of Episode 51 for time issues. Host Sinan Kubba rountables with regular guests Joe DeLia, Jeffrey Matulef, Gary ‘Xantiriad’ Blower, and Eddie Inzauto to present individual awards to some of 2011′s deserving games, for better or for worse.

51: The Best of 2011

Sinan Kubba — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:08:13 +0000

Sinan Kubba hosts the third annual pursuit of a Big Red Game of the Year – just one game this year – and he’s joined as ever by regular guests Gary ‘Xantiriad’ Blower, Joe DeLia, Jeffrey Matulef, and Eddie Inzauto.

50: The Ways We Buy Games

Sinan Kubba — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:14:21 +0000

Sinan Kubba welcomes the return of regular contributor Xantiriad alongside Jeffrey Matulef and Joe DeLia to talk about the rise of new alternative purchasing models for games and how they are affecting designs from on the iOS platforms right to the Xbox 360.

49: Neglecting Narrative

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:34:08 +0000

Returning after a summer hiatus, Sinan Kubba is joined by regular guests Joe DeLia, Jeffrey Matulef, and Eddie Inzauto to discuss whether or not critics should be more concerned about poor stories in games when approaching reviews.

48: Nier Far Wherever You Are

Sinan Kubba — Sun, 22 May 2011 20:37:38 +0000

Sinan Kubba is joined by regular guests Jeffrey Matulef and Eddie Inzauto, and by special guests Brad Gallaway of GameCritics and Chris Green of GamerNode. The show topic is Nier, and hopefully it’s still relevant despite being recorded three months before going up. Better late than something.

PS: please excuse Jeff’s slightly sped up audio as he was in the midst of a February-long coffee binge

47: Suparna Galaxy

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:02:11 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Jeffrey Matulef are joined by Gamasutra‘s Leigh Alexander and Paste Magazine‘s Kirk Hamilton for a world exclusive discussion of the pair’s brand new immersive video game, the much anticipated Suparna Galaxy.

46: Championing the Underdog with Peter Willington

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:29:17 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Jeffrey Matulef are joined by special guest Peter Willington from the InRetroSpect podcast to talk about how the relationship between the game press and more obscure, underdog-type video games. The episode also features an interview conducted by Peter with Jim Sterling, Reviews Editor at Destructoid, in which Jim talks about what compels him to champion games that others probably wouldn’t.

45: The Best of 2010

Sinan Kubba — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 05:48:28 +0000

Sinan Kubba is joined by all four regulars – Joe DeLia, Eddie Inzauto, Xantiriad, and Jeff Matulef – to discuss ten of the best games of 2010 and crown the second ever Big Red Potion GOTY.

44: Extra Lives with James Batchelor

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:03:46 +0000

Sinan Kubba is joined by Joe DeLia, Xantiriad and special guest James Batchelor of the GameBurst podcast. The topic is the life cycles of current consoles and how they’re affecting the games industry at large.

43: Engagement is a Choice with Leigh Alexander

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:28:29 +0000

Sinan Kubba, Jeffrey Matulef, and Eddie Inzauto are joined briefly by Gamasutra news director Leigh Alexander to discuss her blog post on how engaging with a video game is in part up to the player.

42: Games That Aren’t Games with Lewis Denby

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:57:27 +0000

Sinan Kubba is joined by the returning Joe DeLia. the regular delights of Jeffrey Matulef and Eddie Inzauto, and special guest and freelance wizard Lewis Denby. The pod tries to make sense of games that are not games.

41: Guilty Pleasures

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:46:21 +0000

Recorded 23 May 2010. Sinan Kubba and Jeffrey Matulef are joined by special guests Brad Gallaway of GameCritics and the Brainy Gamer, Michael Abbott, to talk about guilty pleasures in gaming.

40: Gaming Burnout

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:31:58 +0000

Recorded 16 May 2010. Sinan Kubba is joined by regular guests Xantiriad and Eddie Inzauto to talk about the times when you just don’t want to play video games. What triggers the burnout? Is gaming too time-intensive?

39: Storytelling with Jason Rohrer

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:43:32 +0000

For the first Big Red Potion in the new format, Sinan Kubba, Joe DeLia, Eddie Inzauto, and Jeffrey Matulef welcome the creator of Passage, Jason Rohrer, to talk about his latest creation, SleepisDeath.

38: Bit.Tripping with Alex Neuse

Joe DeLia — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:25:19 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia go two on one with Alex Neuse, the CEO of independent game developer Gaijin Games. They discuss the history and development process behind the team’s acclaimed Bit.Trip series.

37: That’s Some Heavy Rain

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:43:21 +0000

Big Red Potion has the game it’s been waiting for, but does it live up to the hype? Sinan Kubba is joined by Ninja Fat Pigeon host Xantiriad, freelance games critic Jeffrey Matulef, and The Gamer Scene host Dits Symeou to find out in this post-mortem.

36: The Gaming Grind

Joe DeLia — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:06:15 +0000

Joining Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are GamerCrave‘s Jared Newman and GameCritics‘ Brad Gallaway. The pod discusses grinding in gaming. Can gaming exist without the grind? Should we put up with the endless hunt?

35: The Rise & Fall of SEGA

Joe DeLia — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:08:51 +0000

The skies are bluer today than ever before as Big Red Potion presents its tribute to the mysterious Japanese giant known as SEGA. Joining Joe DeLia and Sinan Kubba are Dits Symeou from The Gamer Scene and Leon Cox from GamerDork.

34: Gamers with Disabilities

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:12:54 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia start off 2010 accompanied by Mark Barlet of AbleGamers.com and the AbleGamers Foundation. They interview him about gamers with disabilities, how Mark’s site caters for such gamers, and how informed the industry and press are about accessibility in gaming.

33: The Best of 2009

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:50:02 +0000

Recorded 27th December 2009. Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by freelance games journalist Jeffrey Matulef, Ninja Fat Pigeon host Xantiriad, and GamerNode director Eddie Inzauto to discuss the best games of 2009.

32: Sexuality and Self

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:40:40 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia make space at the table for GamerCrave editor Jared Newman and GayGamer.net editor-in-chief Flynn deMarco. The pod panel talk about the relationship between sexuality and the video game characters we play as.

31: Bigger, Redder, More Potion-y

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:03:15 +0000

This episode Joe DeLia and Sinan Kubba are joined by returning GamerNode friends Eddie Inzauto and Christos Reid to talk about 2009′s proliferation of sequels and spin-offs. Are we reaching sequel overkill?

30: Call of Duty to Whom

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:54:54 +0000

Joe DeLia sadly cannot make the show, but Sinan Kubba is joined by Play Magazine‘s Steve Haske and excellent last-minute Joe replacement Brad Gallaway from GameCritics to discuss the recent controversy surrounding Modern Warfare 2.

29: The Ballad of Grand Theft Auto

Joe DeLia — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:16:31 +0000

With the release of the latest GTA episode, Sinan Kubba & Joe DeLia have lassoed in the Digital Cowboys, Alex Shaw and Tony Atkins, to discuss The Ballad of Gay Tony, the maturity of the Grand Theft Auto series, and how the media continues to point at Rockstar’s epic as the cause of all of humanity’s problems.

28: A Real Horror Show

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:51:28 +0000

As Halloween approaches, Joe DeLia and Sinan Kubba welcome back friendly monster Eddie Inzauto and his fellow GamerNode pal Jason Fanelli to talk about the visceral appeal of survival horror games.

27: Charting Uncharted 2

Joe DeLia — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:44:04 +0000

This episode is all about Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Joe DeLia welcomes Xantiriad from the Ninja Fat Pigeons and freelance games journalist Jeffrey Matulef to dissect Nathan Drake’s latest adventure.

26: Getting Our Emotions On

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:28:35 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia welcome returning guests Adam Standing from Game People and Paul Rooney from The Gamer Scene, as well as special guest Kelle Santiago, President and Co-Founder of thatgamecompany, the developer behind PlayStation Network hits fl0w and Flower. Kellee, Adam, and Paul share their most emotional moments in gaming.

25: Joe Just Broke Uncharted 2

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:37:45 +0000

Twitter, MySpace, Facebook – love them or hate them, social networking is now an accepted part of our lives. Joe DeLia and Sinan Kubba are joined returning games journalist Jared Newman and SHFTS host Chris O’Regan to discuss how social networking is having a strange new impact on gaming.

24: Sinan’s Crazy Ideas

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:28:21 +0000

GamerNode director Eddie Inzauto joins Joe DeLia and Sinan Kubba to discuss the constructs behind exploration in video games. Sinan vents about conventional game design while a bemused Eddie and Joe wonder what all the fuss is about.

23: A Journey of Character

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:44:08 +0000

First Wall Rebate‘s Shawn Rider is the solo guest for this episode, but that doesn’t stop he, Sinan Kubba, and Joe DeLia wandering off into tangents sans care as they discuss gaming protagonists and everything but.

22: Reviewers on Reviews – Part 2

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:56 +0000

This is the second part of the Big Red Potion discussion on video game reviews, with this part concentrating on the perspective of the gaming audience, enthusiast or otherwise. Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by GamerNode director Eddie Inzauto and WiiDS’ Jack Smith.

21: Reviewers on Reviews – Part 1

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:59:57 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined this week by Joystiq‘s reviews editor, Justin McElroy, and welcome back freelance games journalist Jeffrey Matulef. The three Js and an S take on reviews in the first part of a two-parter on the subject.

20: Out of Our Hands

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:30:29 +0000

How we control our input into video games has become diverse and fascinating. But where is it heading? What is the future of the gamepad, given the introductions of Wii MotionPlus, Project Natal and Sony’s motion wands? Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by Brainy Gamer author and host Michael Abbott and Mitch Krpata, games critic and author of the Insult Swordfighting blog.

19: Select Female for Degrading

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:48:24 +0000

Joe DeLia and Sinan Kubba are joined by Matt Walker and Amanda Kondolojy from the Cheat C4 podcast to talk about sexism in video games. A whole breadth of topics come up, including ESRB ratings, stereotyping, and the specifics of being an interactive medium.

18: The Power-up of Celebrity

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:40:06 +0000

Are you ready for another fun-packed episode of the Sho & Joe Show? Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by freelance games journalist Adam Standing and Julian Toseland from Cranky Gamers.net to discuss gaming celebrities within the industry and mainstream.

17: All by Myself Anymore

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:17:34 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by GamerNode writer Christos Reid to talk about the fate of single-player in gaming in relation to Dave Perry’s comments at this year’s DICE summit.

16: Good at Being Evil

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:55:01 +0000

Episode 16 sees the return of games journalists Jared Newman and Jeffrey Matulef as they join Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia to talk about being evil in video games. What does it mean for a good-natured guy or gal to play as an evil so-and-so in a game?

15: Define Game Now

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by GamerNode‘s Eddie Inzauto and First Wall Rebate‘s Trevor Dodge to tackle a question that has plagued sociologists, philosophers, students, writers and designers for years: how do you define a ‘game’?

14: Lights, Camera, Halo

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:47:11 +0000

This week’s topic is how Hollywood influences video game narrative, but you’ll be surprised by the diversity of games and themes discussed during this episode, especially when you consider its shorter length. Keeping Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia on their toes are Crispy Gamer‘s Kyle Orland and GamerNode‘s Christos Reid.

13: Even More Death

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:21:50 +0000

Last week the pod panel discussed the ‘game over’ side of video game death, but this week Sinan Kubba, Joe DeLia, and games journalist Jared Newman get far more morbid with more emphasis on how game narrative handles death in particular. That means lots of spoilers, so if you don’t want Silent Hill 2, Dead Space, GTA IV, Fallout 3, Madworld, Metal Gear Solid 3, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy 7, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, The Passage, and Heavenly Sword spoilt for you, best to fast forward a bit when you hear them come up.

12: Death is Dead

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 11 May 2009 01:51:58 +0000

Game Over. In this, the first part on a two-part special on death in video games, Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by TheGameReviews‘ Jeffrey Matulef and Play Magazine‘s Steve Haske.

11: How Games Age

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:16:15 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by First Wall Rebate host Shane Hinton and also by Jennifer Allen, freelance games journalist, to reminisce and contemplate how well classic games have stand up now.

10: Everybody Hates WoW

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:41:34 +0000

Ding! This episode of Big Red Potion is all about World of Warcraft, and the how the gaming community and press relate to it. Joining Sinan Kubba and JoeDeLia are Dangerous Kids host Jeffrey ‘Switch’ Sorensen and Cranky Gamers UK‘s Dits Symeou, a veteran MMO player.

9: The Epic Handheld One

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:31:06 +0000

Taking their seats in the pod with Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are TheGameReviews staff writer Jeffrey Matulef and Ninja Fat Pigeons host Xantiriad. In the most epic Big Red Potion so far, they mull over handheld gaming in detail.

8: Phoenix Down, over

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:15:45 +0000

Joining Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are podcaster Paul Rooney and TheGameReviews‘ James Bishop. The topic: what defines Final Fantasy? Is it the fanbase, the characters, the setting or even just the moogles?

7: Genre Hurting Gaming

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:48:29 +0000

Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia are joined by TheGameReviews and GamerNode director Eddie Inzauto as well as by Michael Abbott, the man behind the Brainy Gamer blog and podcast. The topic is genre and how it’s affecting the quality of present and future games.

6: Represent!

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:45:02 +0000

Heyo! With plenty of announcements to cover, including the exciting introduction of the Big Red Potion Second Chair (clue: it’s TheGameReviews staff writer Joseph DeLia), it is easy to forget to talk about the actual show in the show notes. Well, screw the announcements, you will just have to listen to the show to find out. Joining Sinan and Joe on Big Red Potion this week are TheGameReviews Editorial and Features Director Eddie Inzauto and Gamer Quest author Angelo. The four dudes from four different time zones talk about games they feel can represent gaming… yes, we argued last week that the concept is redundant, but Big Red Potion is nothing if not a dichotomy! Angelo talks about Ocarina of Time as the best example of one of the best game series, Zelda, while Sinan argues that Super Mario Galaxy both represents and defines video games. Eddie gives his thoughts on the ways the open world of Oblivion represents gaming, then Joe closes with discussion on Shadow of the Colossus and its distilled simplicity. So, sit back and enjoy this ever so slightly new-look version of Big Red Potion.

The Regulars

Big Red Potion: http://bigredpotion.com
TheGameReviews: http://thegamereviews.com
You Have Lost!: http://shoinan.com
Pixelated-Glee: http://pixelatedglee.wordpress.com

Guest Links

GamerNode: http://gamernode.com
Eddie on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EddieInzauto
Bergsonian Critique: http://bergsoniancritique.com/

5: Life is a Flower

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:35:51 +0000

It is time for a video game post-mortem, and joining Sinan in the Big Red Potion mortuary are the 8-bit hacks blog author Steve Amodio and the returning New York tones of TheGameReviews staff writer Joe DeLia. The subject? PSN downloadable title Flower, and the wealth of discussion it has produced. The examination revolves around its impressive presentation, its dividing gameplay, the extremes of reaction it has produced and the validity of its involvement in the games as art debate. Our conclusion? Well, you will have to listen to find out.

The Regulars

Big Red Potion: http://bigredpotion.com
You Have Lost!: http://shoinan.com

Guest Links

8-bit hacks: http://8bithacks.com/
Pixelated-Glee: http://pixelatedglee.wordpress.com
TheGameReviews: http://thegamereviews.com

4: How to Sell a PS3

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:26:14 +0000

The fourth episode of Big Red Potion sees Sinan joined by two G-men in the form of Gary aka Xantiriad from Ninja Fat Pigeons and Cranky Gamers UK blog writer Gareth aka StridentUK. The three tackle a question that Sony seem unable to answer – how do you sell a PlayStation 3? Sony has slipped from first into last place in the console wars – where did they go wrong? How big an issue is the PS3 pricepoint? What needs to change to solve the problem – can it even be solved? Xan, Gareth and Sinan offer up their views in Big Red Potion Episode Numero Fouro.

The Regulars

Big Red Potion: http://bigredpotion.com
You Have Lost!: http://shoinan.com

Guest Links

Cranky Gamers UK: http://crankygamersuk.com
StridentUK.com: http://www.stridentuk.com/
Ninja Fat Pigeons: http://ninjafatpigeons.blogspot.com
Xantiriad: http://xantiriad.blogspot.com

Show Links

Sony PS3 marketing mistakes: http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/08/04/sony-ps3-marketing-mistakes/
Sony wants you to buy games: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/02/sony-wants-you-to-buy-games-not-xbox-live.ars

3: The Power of Duct Tape

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:22:43 +0000

Sinan is joined by Matt Walker from Cheat Code Central and WiiDS host James Batchelor. The two guests lock horns on the topic for this week – whether or not the Wii is good for the gaming industry. Is Nintendo enforcing the casual revolution? Is graphical power significant anymore? Can Sinan get a word in edgewise amongst two podcast veterans? Well, the answer to that final one is a definite no, thankfully.

The Regulars

Big Red Potion: http://bigredpotion.com
You Have Lost!: http://shoinan.com

Guest Links

Cheat Code Central: http://www.cheatcc.com
The WiiDS Podcast: http://wiids-podcast.com
The Total Gamer: http://www.thetotalgamer.com
Games Journalism or Bust: http://www.gjob.co.uk

Show Links

There are too many crappy games on Wii: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/32941/There-are-too-many-crappy-games-on-Wii
IGN Editorial: Is Casual Gaming Destroying the Industry?: http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/949/949407p1.html
Re: Prince Of Noobs: http://shoinan.com/2009/01/04/re-prince-of-noobs/

2: In Memoriam of Jill Valentine

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:18:30 +0000

Dim the lights, slip into something more comfortable and brace yourself for the lurve podcast. This week Sinan is joined by fellow TheGameReviews writers Joe DeLia and Jeffrey Matulef, and the topic being tackled is “video game love stories”. Which games are the most romantic? Will games ever be able to handle a love story maturely? Will three guys on a podcast ever be able to handle discussion on sex maturely? The lurve podcast knows all the answers.

The Regulars

Big Red Potion: http://bigredpotion.com
You Have Lost!: http://shoinan.com

Guest Links

Mr. Durand Pierre: http://jumpingmoustache.blogspot.com
Pixelated-Glee: http://pixelatedglee.wordpress.com
TheGameReviews http://www.thegamereviews.com

Show Links

Top 5 Most Romantic Moments in Gaming: http://www.thegamereviews.com/article-1091-Top-5-Most-Romantic-Moments-in-Gaming.html
How To Make Games That Touch People: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21202
Are Games Gay Enough? http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=12250

1: Downloadable Malcontent

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:15:12 +0000

Sinan Kubba is joined for the inaugural show by Nory Smith of Frugal Gaming and Cranky Gamer Jonathan to talk about downloadble content. Is DLC becoming too exploitative? Is exclusive DLC having an impact?