HLTB Podcast - A Community Podcast!

This week we are making connections, building relationships, and hopefully growing into better human beings all round. As @pokepaw continues to adventure in the kitchens of hell, I have been reconciling with relatives, bridging cultures, and bringing justice to paper cut-out animals.

Never fret though, as the weird and wonderful keeps on going as we discuss what the term “indie” might mean in 2024. How has it changed since its original use, and is that even a good thing? These questions and more will be raised and possibly answered, but you’ll have to listen to find out.

Then it’s time for my brain to be on the spot once again as @pokepaw quizzes me on a game I really should know. Will it be the redeeming round that puts me ahead? Or will I continue to trail behind as I forget everything I ever knew?!

Sometimes a game can be so compelling that you can’t help but fire up the passion and go ham on everything you have to say. So it is with @pokepaw’s current otome obsession, bringing an exclusive rant in today’s episode. There’s no discussion topic, there’s no time! Not when there are things that need to be said and stories that need to be told.

Meanwhile I have completed a few titles this week, retired a few more, and been playing some other stuff that’s nowhere near as compelling. That, and it’s now clear who will be crowned the winner of our guessing game after next week’s edition… and it will surprise nobody!

This week it gets personal with a special bonus episode within which we each get to talk about one of our favourite games of all time. Except these games are perhaps not the most celebrated titles for various reasons, but we love them all the same. Maybe we can pique your interest as well?

After a little break @pokepaw and I are back and we’ve been playing a bunch of games since the last mainline episode. I finally defeated the big boss at the end of an epic adventure, made friends with underwater aliens, and lost my way in the 40K universe. Meanwhile @pokepaw has been chasing cats through time, stuffing dogs into boxes, and delving into a seriously old school dungeon crawler.

Then we have a chat about this month’s HLTB Game of the Month, before finishing off this round of our guessing game and crowning a winner! The outcome will definitely not surprise anyone, but the game that gets picked just might.

After a little break @pokepaw and I are back and we’ve been playing a bunch of games since the last mainline episode. I finally defeated the big boss at the end of an epic adventure, made friends with underwater aliens, and lost my way in the 40K universe. Meanwhile @pokepaw has been chasing cats through time, stuffing dogs into boxes, and delving into a seriously old school dungeon crawler.

Then we have a chat about this month’s HLTB Game of the Month, before finishing off this round of our guessing game and crowning a winner! The outcome will definitely not surprise anyone, but the game that gets picked just might.

Great to see you guys venturing into the 40K univers. There was a time a few years ago where I got stuck in the lore of that series!

This week I’ve been spending most of my time scavenging parts from derelict ships, laughing at renaissance absurdity, and sticking my nose into a new criminal case. While @pokepaw returned to the conflict of world domination, continued to catch them all, solved puzzles with bricks, and went rogue at the start of an epic adventure.

If that wasn’t enough, we dive into a discussion about different video game business models and whether that subscription is really worth it, or if that DLC should have been part of the game in the first place. Can micro-transactions ever be okay?

Tune in to find out!

It’s all about games, games, and more games this episode as we have been playing, retiring, and completing a bunch of different titles. For some reason though, there seems to have been a lot of cats involved… which has to be a good thing, right?

Plus, it’s Steam sale time, so we reveal the bargains we picked up and perhaps a few random additions along the way. The budgets are real, but there are some deep discounts that are worth taking a look at either way.

Just don’t think about the backlog…

In this episode: @pokepaw brings back an out-dated form of employment, while satiating her power-hungry need for order and conformity. Also, I die repeatedly on alien planets, and dive deep into the lore of weird cults and relics that leave bodies in their wake.

Then the discussion turns to open world games, which was totally not a suggested subject that an AI bot came up with. Not at all.

Finally, we end the episode with a big announcement that may or may not include puppies. Tune in to find out!

(please note, there are no puppies in this episode, we at the HLTB Podcast apologise for the inconvenience)

Yes, the hot rumours are true and the end of Season 3 has now been set to sometime in the next couple of months. While there are still a good handful of episodes left, we would love to hear from anyone who may be interested in hosting the podcast into Season 4. So get in touch at hltbpodcast@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, @Pokepaw is continuing her educational rampage of tyranny this week, while also manipulating felines and solving puzzles. All as I follow the mysterious trail of a relic with magic powers, and fight alien enemies on a planet far, far away.

Then the discussion focuses on Gaming Guilty Pleasures where tangents abound, and everything goes a little bit TED Talk for a while. Then again, does it really matter/ Are you having fun?

Come sail the seven seas this week as gaming piracy is up for discussion, with all its swashbuckling and spicy takes. Is there a moral imperative to bend the rules from time to time? Or is it simply misguided righteousness in this topsy-turvy world of easily obtained loot and booty?

Before that though, @Pokepaw and I work through a short list of games we’ve been playing and finishing, as is tradition. @Pokepaw continues to apply pressure on her students, design epic rodent-built towns, and play with a never ending parade of cats. Meanwhile I have finished my final race, uncovered complex hidden murder mystery facts, and pondered the existential meaning of cooperation.

Strap yourself in… and bring on the feedback!

Welcome to the shortest episode description, because I am tired and the words aren’t working.

This week we talk about games, and videogame preservation.

Enjoy!

Is it a myth? Is it real? Can you actually do that amazing thing in that popular game? This week we’re talking about the rumours and myths that make up gaming folklore. Has the internet taken away the mystery? Or are there still exciting surprises to be had? We raise some questions, but do we manage to answer them?

Plus, @pokepaw continues her spiral into darkness as she manipulates students for her own benefit, and rules her colony of beavers with an iron fist. Before diving back into an old favourite for some more Otome adventures.

Meanwhile I have been trying some new things and making new friends after finding them in a strange new world. I’m still convinced that I have nearly reached the end of the ongoing courtroom drama, and have been avoiding nightmares while fishing for gold in the fog.

All this and more in this latest episode!

The time has come! @pokepaw’s tenure as educational administrator is at an end, but at what cost?! Has she done enough to justify the hard decisions and moist frogs that frequented the journey? Are we finally witnessing the liberation of indentured students?!

Meanwhile I have made it to the end of my own journey, but even a murder case in court seems poultry by comparison. Add to that some hard moral decisions and wartime carnage, and I still don’t seem like the worst dictator we’ve seen.

Finally, the topic this week turns to the HLTB Game of the Month, which I am definitely a fan of and have a lot to speak on and in no way leave it all up to @pokepaw.

Enjoy the episode!

Due to circumstances well beyond our control, there will be no episode of the HLTB Podcast this week - life just had to go and get in the way, preventing us from getting a new episode in the bag.

While I'm sure this comes as quite the disappointing blow for many of us, the penultimate episode of the season should be fresh and ready for next week - with some fun stuff to start wrapping everything up.

We hope you'll come along for the final episodes when they are done, but unti then, play some games or something and like... have fun! :D

In this penultimate episode of season 3: I have been battling insane robotics, meditating with pixel art, and tweaking hardware in search of stability, while @pokepaw
continues to catch them all, and till the land in pursuit of abundance and anime.

Then we have a special showdown to decide who really is the crowned champion of our guessing game. So far we’ve each won a round, but can a final battle sort the wheat from the chaff? This isn’t Stardew Valley…

The end has come and the season finishes up with this final episode where @pokepaw and I take a look to the future. What are we keen to finish? What’s been sitting on the backlog begging to be played? What new releases are we looking forward to in the future?

Thanks to everyone who contributed and helped support season three and make it fun. It was a blast to put together, but all good things must come to an end. Who knows what will happen in the future, but for now, it’s done!

Thanks for listening.

I recently started listening to the podcast and am enjoying it immensely. I'm currently at episode 20 of season 2, so a long time to go still, but I must say I love the atmosphere and friendly banter amongst you all! I've started hearing Abotages voice thanks to the fantasy critic league segments, so already a bit prepped for season 3 :).

I've been using HLTB for quite a while to log my games (with some hiatuses), but I never knew there was such a fun community hiding in the forums. So the HLTB podcast is a great way to get new people into the forums too! (Although I'm still a bit lost at times with all the different threads going on).

I recently started listening to the podcast and am enjoying it immensely. I'm currently at episode 20 of season 2, so a long time to go still, but I must say I love the atmosphere and friendly banter amongst you all! I've started hearing Abotages voice thanks to the fantasy critic league segments, so already a bit prepped for season 3 :).

I've been using HLTB for quite a while to log my games (with some hiatuses), but I never knew there was such a fun community hiding in the forums. So the HLTB podcast is a great way to get new people into the forums too! (Although I'm still a bit lost at times with all the different threads going on).

Hey that's awesome - glad you're enjoying it =)

There are currently some future plans in the works so definitely stay tuned - it's a great community and there are many more voices to hear in later episodes!

Without beginning or end, the ring stretches into the infinite.



This week on the How Long to Beat podcast, we welcome new beginnings and say farewell to the past as a new suite of hosts enters the fray! Say hello and welcome to your new hosts: FrozenRoy (hi it's me, also FrozenRoy on the How Long to Beat forum!), Lia (bohemu on the How Long to Beat forum), Matt (Cock on the How Long to Beat forum) and Diallo (electrophants on the How Long to Beat forum)! That's right, we've got FOUR hosts for the start of the brand new Season Four!

In this episode we'll be discussing some of our favorite and most important games, answer questions from the previous season's hosts and as usual go over what we've been gaming recently! This one is a bit of a chonky boy, so we didn't quite get to the Guess the Game this time...but don't worry. It's coming next time.

We welcome the new year with a look back at the last games we were able to squeeze through under the 2024 deadline. In this episode, us shiny newly minted hosts go over the last games we have beaten, retired, and played before debating the pros and cons of the itchmas ’24 lineup.

Get ready for escape rooms, forgotten horror, snowballs and sleds, lots of falling blocks, super short games, and the dawn of a new era in vtubers?

Hello everybody!
We have another hot episode of fresh vidyagame discussions for you today.

On this special episode, we welcome back previous guest and thread master Knalb to look back with us at the "Game of the Month" titles that were chosen by the community throughout 2024 as part of one of the oldest traditions on HowLongToBeat.
To top it all off, Knalb brought a bunch of interesting facts and numbers for a little trivia game about the statistics of those events!