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Left Trigger Right Trigger

Join us every other week as we convene the 'video game book club.' Each episode is structured around a topic: anything from 'Trust' to 'Robots' to 'Body Parts'. Listen in as your hosts each bring a game to the table that they think exemplifies that topic in some way. Give us a shot and remember, games are just metaphors.
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Now displaying: 2020
Dec 29, 2020

Listeners... hoo boy what a year it's been. This year has been painful and difficult in a lot of unnecessary ways, but we've made it through. As we close out 2020 and look towards a new year, we hope this show has brought you some comfort and laughs. As with years past, we sat down to take a look at a few games that best capture the experience of the last year. We promise it's not all maudlin - in fact, there's actually some pretty ok jokes in this one.  

Greg hits us with some cool turtle facts. Dave wonders why so many people played anxiety-inducing games this year. Colin drops a reference to Das Kapital (as if they've read the whole thing). Giovanni clings to a himbo that can give us all hope. 

We've been streaming at twitch.tv/lefttriggerrighttrigger, so please give us a follow over there. If you want to catch up on past streams you can find them over on our YouTube page. You can also give us a follow on Twitter (@LTRTCast) or on the Left Trigger Right Trigger Facebook Page.  We'd also really appreciate if you take a moment to give us a rate and review on your podcatcher of choice.  

Games discussed include Raft, Among Us, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. 

Show Notes: 

Cool Facts for Kids - Turtles

How To Chip Away At A Massive Games Backlog, Ari Notis, Kotaku

 

Dec 15, 2020

Attention!! we've put together a playlist of the music mentioned in this episode! You can listen along by clicking the link down in our show notes!

Folks - we're overwhelmed to introduce our very special 100th episode! Almost four years ago we got on a discord call and hashed out what this show would look like. After a couple trial runs we landed on the structure that's carried us through the last 100 episodes.

Almost as soon as we released our first episode we got a request to cover Music as a topic. In fact, Music came up every time we asked for topic suggestions. It's by far our most requested topic and we wanted to make sure we did it justice. This is an extra long episode with a ton of commentary from our friends and colleagues who've supported and inspired us over the years. This show wouldn't be what it is without their support, and this show wouldn't exist at all without you, our listeners. Thank you all for 100 episodes! Here's to 100 more!

Greg takes us through a musical dreamscape. Dave has flashbacks to his days in QA. Colin gets into a sick groove that doesn't go too fast. Giovanni lets the music take him away. 

We've been streaming at twitch.tv/lefttriggerrighttrigger, so please give us a follow over there. If you want to catch up on past streams you can find them over on our YouTube page. You can also give us a follow on Twitter (@LTRTCast) or on the Left Trigger Right Trigger Facebook Page.  We'd also really appreciate if you take a moment to give us a rate and review on your podcatcher of choice.  

Games discussed include Little Nemo: The Dream Master, Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong Country, and Metroid Prime. 

Show Notes: 

Playlist of the songs mentioned in this episode

The Genius of the Super Mario Bros. "Game Over" Theme, Andrew Schartmann, Slate

A video called "Every Time The Lightsabers Clash The Wilhelm Scream Happens"

A Reddit Post on whether time travel is possible in the Sonic universe

Orson Welles' wine commercial

Dec 1, 2020

Hey everyone, it's your hosts from Left Trigger Right Trigger! We wanted to let you know that our next episode is our 100th episode! We're going to make it super special so please make sure that you tune in for it! 

Rank: it's for more than just stinky cheeses. This episode breaks down all the systems we use to understand hierarchy and competition. Greg laments the loss of his Ms. PacMan high score. Giovanni puts us all in the Stuber-verse. Colin hates on Canada Dry (again). Dave brainstorms a new language specifically for rating games.

We've been streaming fairly consistently over at twitch.tv/lefttriggerrighttrigger, so please give us a follow over there. If you want to catch up on past streams you can find them over on our YouTube page. You can also give us a follow on Twitter (@LTRTCast) or on the Left Trigger Right Trigger Facebook Page.  We'd also really appreciate if you take a moment to give us a rate and review on your podcatcher of choice.  

Games discussed include Astro's Playroom, FUSER, Battlefield 3, and Devil May Cry 5

Nov 17, 2020

We're so, so happy to welcome our guest Ellie Karavas to this very special episode of Left Trigger Right Trigger. Ellie is a musician, producer, and retro game collector who proposed the topic of Cards, resulting in Greg's immediate combustion. You can find Ellie's record label over at Jam Eater Records (which also has a great podcast and a patreon that you should check out) and her retro collector YouTube channel over at Jam Eater Gaming.

Listeners, this is it. The episode you've all been waiting for. We finally answer the question you've all been asking for the last three years of this show: what can Kenny Rogers' The Gambler teach us about game design? Greg shows us when to hold 'em. Ellie discusses when to fold 'em. Dave decides when to walk away. Colin figures out when to run. And Giovanni? Well... G knows the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep. That's cards, folks!

We've been streaming fairly consistently over at twitch.tv/lefttriggerrighttrigger, so please give us a follow over there. If you want to catch up on past streams you can find them over on our YouTube page. You can also give us a follow on Twitter (@LTRTCast) or on the Left Trigger Right Trigger Facebook Page.  We'd also really appreciate if you take a moment to give us a rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Games discussed include Magic: The Gathering Arena, The Pokémon Trading Card Game (1 & 2), Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Gwent

Nov 3, 2020

To all our listeners, we love you and we hope this episode helps you endure the everlong, unending events of 2020. And you know, maybe this episode title is a little on the nose, but we know podcasts that use subtext and they're all cowards.

Listeners, this episode is a lighthearted romp through Hell - a useful metaphor for, well, a lot of things it turns out. Greg is banished to the spirit realm for the second time in the history of this podcast. Colin tries to vape the water NASA found on the moon. Dave reveals to no one's surprise that he's the only Yu-Gi-Oh expert in the room. Giovanni explores the real world bullet hell of walking down the street. 

Games discussed include: Afterparty, Lucah: Born of a Dream, Afterlife, Last Word

We've been streaming fairly consistently over at twitch.tv/lefttriggerrighttrigger, so please give us a follow over there. If you want to catch up on past streams you can find them over on our YouTube page. You can also give us a follow on Twitter (@LTRTCast) or on the Left Trigger Right Trigger Facebook Page.  We'd also really appreciate if you take a moment to give us a rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Show Notes: 

Politics of The Self in LUCAH: Born of a Dream - Catherine Brinegar and Jessica Harvey, RE:BIND

 

Oct 20, 2020

Listeners... welcome to a scary, creepy, terrifying episode 70 minute blooper. Our most prolific guest and least prolific friend Andrew Zucosky joins us once again to discuss a topic close to everyones' hearts: Masks. Except it wasn't supposed to be masks? Look, this episode has a solid twist about an hour in so make sure you stick around for that.

Giovanni breaks with the flock and decides not to be a duck. Colin almost turns this into yet another Destiny podcast. Dave quite literally deflates towards the end of the episode. Greg sabotages this whole episode. 

Games discussed include: World of Warcraft, Champions Online, Dota 2, Majora's Mask, and Hotline Miami

Show Notes: 

Baldur’s Gate 3 makers tell players to stop being so basic- Cass Marshall, Polygon

 

Oct 6, 2020

Important note - Giovanni, Dave, and Greg are all in a band called Duckspeak that just released their latest album, Death To All Kings. You can check it out on any streaming service or purchase it from their bandcamp (duckspeak.bandcamp.com). Thanks for listening!

The videogame industry is undergoing a lot of turmoil these days. Toxic executives are being ousted. Studios that stated they intended to avoid crunch are forcing their staff to work 6 day weeks. Publishers continue to buy, sell, and gut studios as they wish. It's a wild time, so we thought we'd take this episode to get a little serious and cover some important and timely issues in the industry. Instead, we argued about sandwiches for 12 minutes.

For real though we do eventually highlight some of our favorite studios in the context of a difficult, awful industry. Get ready for a real one, listeners. Giovanni digs a hole. Greg divulges his recipe for vegan mayo. Dave ponders where the "style" of a studio resides. Colin makes this all about capitalism once again. 

Games (and studios) discussed include: SteamWorld Dig (Image & Form), Bastion (Supergiant Games), Crusader Kings 3 (Paradox Interactive), and Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)

Show Notes: 

This Crusader Kings 3 player ate the Pope - Christopher Livingston, PC Gamer

Paradox Interactive's QA staff allege poor treatment, low pay, and mismanaged layoffs - Imogen Beckhelling, Rock Paper Shotgun

Game Developers Behind Dead Cells, Night in the Woods, and More Share Why the Co-Op Studio Model WorksCaty McCarthy, US Gamer

Sep 22, 2020

Important announcement - from September 20 - 26 there's a very special charity drive going on over at Mars' Best Brisket. It's a weeklong audio comedy event raising money for Lovin' Spoonfuls, a food rescue located in Boston. There are some super talented and funny people you can hear in a short run of episodes. If you can, please go support their charity drive right here:

Listeners! It's time to put on a cozy sweater, grab a mug of tea, and stumble off an unseen ledge, perishing instantly. The topic is Fall and we discuss all the different permutations of that word. Colin ponders about brain chemicals. Greg goes back to school. Dave forgets how to talk as soon as the episode starts. Giovanni explains Gundam to us. It's Fall, whatever that means!

Games discussed include Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Dauntless, Assassin's Creed, and Mixolumia

Sep 8, 2020

Human beings. Together. On the Internet. Interacting. Relating. Feeling Emotions. Having thoughts. This is what we call a social way of living. And Left Trigger Right Trigger is what we call this podcast. 

The topic is Social and that means we cover all the wild ways we engage in games with multiple people. Colin founds a digital government. Dave gets thoughtful about suffrage. Giovanni installs patented cyberware into his body. Greg becomes a Fortnite streamer.

Games discussed include NationStates, Everybody Votes, PlayStation Home, and Golf with Your Friends. 

Goo 0
Aug 25, 2020

If you thought we couldn't squeeze any more gimmicks or bad jokes into Double-O August then listeners, we are pleased to inform you that you've underestimated just how malleable, stretchable, and compressible this show can be. Get ready for GOO, a topic that absolutely none of our listeners asked for! Giovanni explores Goo as a thematic foil for non-goo beings. Greg pitches a new egg-replacement product. Colin coins the term WAG (Wet Ass Gooigi). Dave ruins our show notes (make sure to check those below). 

We're streaming over on twitch.tv/lefttriggerrighttrigger - join us every Thursday at 7:30 ET as we raise money for The Bail Project and play through Final Fantasy VII Remake Hard Mode! We're going to be raising money every week until we finish the game. Come join us!

If you want to catch up on past streams you can find them over on our YouTube page. You can also give us a follow on Twitter (@LTRTCast) or on the Left Trigger Right Trigger Facebook Page.  We'd also really appreciate if you take a moment to give us a rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Games discussed include World of Goo, Luigi's Mansion 3, Arms, and Ringfit Adventure

Show Notes:

Helix's Horrible Screams

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