Literate Gamer
297 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago - ★★★★ - 77 ratingsOctopusPark's Literate Gamer: a discussion of games, their meaning, and their impact on people and art.
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Episodes
Dead Island 2
May 26, 2023 21:22 - 47 minutes - 65.8 MBNick and Trevor regale Jonathan with the simple joys of zombie dismemberment in Dead Island 2, a worthy successor, if a bit delayed.
WH40K: Inquisitor: Martyr
April 19, 2023 21:43 - 53 minutes - 74 MBJonathan and Nick recount purging lots of heretics in Inquisitor: Martyr, a great action game with a few rough edges, but absolutely lives up to the standards of the Warhammer 40K franchise lore. If you're new to lore, don't miss Luetin's channel. https://www.youtube.com/@Luetin09
Forespoken
March 11, 2023 18:05 - 50 minutes - 70.1 MBNick regales Jonathan with his experience of Forespoken, a decent enough action game, but the aspirations of open world and story evaporating in the sunlight.
Valheim: Mistlands update
February 12, 2023 14:46 - 47 minutes - 65.8 MBJonathan and Nick revisit the free new major content drop for Valheim "Mistlands". New weapons, new enemies, new materials, lots of new geography, and magic!
Dwarf Fortress on Steam
January 17, 2023 22:24 - 1 hour - 104 MBSethatos returns to talk about Dwarf Fortress, now on Steam, thanks to KitFox games. Still the best home for all of your war-rhinocerous needs.
Short: BackPack Hero
December 20, 2022 22:37 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBJonathan describes the inventory-optimizing Roge-Like "BackPack Hero". Lots of fun if you're a huge nerd. :)
Short: Inscryption
August 02, 2022 22:34 - 6 minutes - 6.28 MBJonathan describes the wonders of the new Rogelike deckbuilder "Inscryption". It's wonderfully atmospheric, and a remarkable blend of mechanics and narrative.
Hiatus and Elden Ring final thoughts
July 19, 2022 21:16 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBJonathan expounds on the state of the podcast, Sundered: Eldritch Edition comes to the Nintendo Switch, and Elden Ring final thoughts.
Diablo Immortal and Dopamine Machines
July 13, 2022 00:45 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBJonathan and Nick discuss Diablo Immortal, and dopamine machines generally, if they can be good, and the future of the industry.
Short: DorfRomantik
July 13, 2022 00:35 - 10 minutes - 9.63 MBJonathan recounts the delightful and relaxing tile countryside builder 'DorfRomantik', on Steam now.
V Rising
June 21, 2022 01:23 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MBJonathan and Nick discuss the pitch perfect vampire action/base-crafting game 'V Rising'. The name may be ridiculous, but the game is fun and flawlessly themed, aimed squarely at those seeking to wet their fangs playing a classic vampire.
Boyfriend Dungeon
June 15, 2022 01:29 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBJonathan gushes about the inclusive and delightful dating-action romp, Boyfriend Dungeon.
Tiny Tina's Wonderland
June 09, 2022 12:06 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBJonathan and Nick talk about Tiny Tina's Winderland, a goofy, first-person, looter-shooter: the first good successor to Borderlands 2 in quite some time.
Platformer Short: Kingdom: Two Crowns
May 29, 2022 14:51 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBJonathan recounts the joy of Kingdom: Two Crowns, a wonderful follow-up and enhancement to the original work. A pleasant and fruitful continuation of the series.
Horizon: Forbidden West
May 19, 2022 23:50 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBNick regails Jonathan of the joys and tribulations of Horizon: Forbidden west, highs lows, and lots of bows.
Platformer Short: comfort food games
May 13, 2022 01:07 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBJonathan expounds on comfort food games and electronic self-care.
Rune Factory 5
May 06, 2022 00:23 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBNick regales Jonathan with the latest Rune Factory, and the strange and surprising choices within this entry in the series.
Platformer Short: Vampire Survivors
April 29, 2022 20:36 - 5 minutes - 5.26 MBJonathan recounts the tiny twinkling gem of Vampire Survivors, fun for anyone with a few bucks and a love for a CastleVania-feeling rogue-lite.
Humankind
April 22, 2022 01:33 - 45 minutes - 63.1 MBJonathan and Nick discuss Humankind, the era-spanning, turn-based, empire-building game to truly rival the Civilization franchise. This one is legitimately good, and you should get it.
Platformer Short: Phoenotopia Awakening
April 10, 2022 17:17 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBJonathan recounts the wonderful experience of the wide-ranging techno-fantasy romp "Phoenotopia Awakening". It's a deep, well-written, and overall incredibly fun game for a very agreeable price.
Elden Ring, late game
April 03, 2022 13:50 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBJonathan and Nick discuss the late game of Elden Ring: hard learned lessons, giant birds, our troubles, and our joys. Wondrous lore: https://www.youtube.com/c/VaatiVidya A great Elden Ring Wiki: https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Elden+Ring+Wiki
Platformer Short: Dead Cells
March 29, 2022 01:35 - 6 minutes - 5.94 MBJonathan expounds on the action sidescroller rogue-light "Dead Cells": lots of fun, especially as a snowman!
Elden Ring, early game
March 15, 2022 22:59 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBJonathan and Nick froth and gibber about the new and amazing Elden Ring, open world successor to the Dark Souls, and an absolute triumph. Not perfect, but absolutely worth it, even if you haven't ever played any of them before. Get it. Do it now.
Platformer Short: Mega Man X 4 and 5
March 12, 2022 22:15 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBJonathan discusses Mega Man X 4 and 5, fresh from the Mega Man X legacy collections on the switch, preserving fond memories and playing experiences of classic platformers: loyal to the franchise with more content and minor tweaks.
Sifu
March 04, 2022 23:56 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBJonathan recounts the joy of pummeling a hundred evildoers to Nick in the new game Sifu, a mechanical masterpiece that is 100% loyal to the kung-fu theme.
Crusader Kings 3
February 23, 2022 22:02 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBNick recounts his experiences with Crusader Kings 3, the Royal Court expansion, a bubbling pot of organic experiences in feudal mostly-Europe. Bring on the parade of wars, disinheritance, and assassin-nuns.
Book Club: ChapterHouse Dune
February 16, 2022 23:14 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBThe Literate Gamer book club finishes the last book in the Dune series written by Frank Herbert, ChapterHouse Dune. A lot of weird ideas, strangely assembled; who can say they're surprised?
Icarus
February 09, 2022 23:16 - 49 minutes - 45 MBNick and Jonathan discuss Icarus, a novel take on survival crafting, introducing a mission system, with pleasing results, though a bit of balance at the top is needed. Quite fun, and content updates are forthcoming.
Platformer Short: Metroid Dread
January 25, 2022 23:50 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBJonathan recounts the magnificence of Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch, a glorious sequel to Metroid Fusion: everything you want from a Metroid game, completely loyal to the franchise and gobs of fun to play!
Book Club: Heretics of Dune
January 23, 2022 22:25 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBThe gang discusses Heretics of Dune, a welcome source of politics and action after God-Emperor, if unfocused, and full of more of the novel weirdness we've all come to expect from Frank Herbert.
League of Legends
January 12, 2022 02:05 - 53 minutes - 49 MBJonathan and Nick discuss League of Legends and Wild Rift, the incredibly successful MOBA properties of Riot Games, and the wonders and flaws therein.
Book Club: God Emperor of Dune
January 10, 2022 02:54 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBThe gang discusses God Emperor of Dune, the philosophical conclusion to Frank Herbert's political thesis, though not the series. Meaning comes to the patient, or at least orgasms.
DeathLoop
December 28, 2021 22:35 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBNick regales Jonathan with the bizarre Arkane Studios shooter 'DeathLoop', and its novel narrative and mechanical devices.
Book Club: Children of Dune
December 22, 2021 00:46 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBIn this week's Dune book club, we discuss Children of Dune, a good book, though our sourness at what flaws do exist reach epic proportions, and once again Jonathan misses the orgy.
Elden Ring first impressions
December 08, 2021 17:02 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBNick recounts his experience to Jonathan of Elden Ring, the new FromSoft open world vehicle, and whether it's loyal to the franchise(s), and above all, if it's good.
RTS Short: WH40K Dawn of War
November 30, 2021 23:23 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBJonathan recounts the delicious ridiculous Warhammer 40K gem of Real-Time-Strategy 'Dawn of War'. That intro video gives me chills every time! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4570/Warhammer_40000_Dawn_of_War__Game_of_the_Year_Edition/ Dawn of War with all DLC: https://store.steampowered.com/sub/30560/
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
November 24, 2021 05:19 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBJonathan and Nick discuss Kena: Bridge of Spirits, a fun 3rd-person action puzzler with incredible art and some adorable little buddies.
Book Club: Dune Movie, part 1
November 17, 2021 01:27 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBThe Book Club gang discuss the 2021 Dune movie by Denis Villeneuve, a smashing success by all metrics, other than one wailing woman.
Asymmetric Multiplayer
November 12, 2021 03:08 - 40 MBJonathan and Nick discuss Asymmetric Multiplayer, a blooming young game type, often involving predators, aliens, zombies, and a wide assortment of famous murderers.
Book Club: Dune, part 3
November 02, 2021 20:28 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBThe book club discusses part 3 of Dune, containing the political climax, with lots of bizarre innovations: some breathtaking, others disappointing, but still a great and fantastic book, and once again Jonathan misses the orgies. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_9DDewKiZhpkrlXv2yGRbEKEI_Ma1JvH https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRXGGVBzHLUeKJACdXs8zxQde31wpnqKv https://www.youtube.com/c/QuinnsIdeas
Demon's Souls PS5 Remake
November 02, 2021 02:10 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBLiterate Gamer revisits where it all began: Demon's Souls, specifically the Blue Point remake for the PS5. It is a faithful and beautiful recreation, loyal, with little extra in just the right places.
Book Club: Dune, part 2
October 20, 2021 01:25 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBThe Dune book club continues in part 2, where Paul and Jessica enter the desert, he has a family (theoretically?), and somehow Jonathan misses an orgy.
Aliens FireTeam Elite
October 14, 2021 00:42 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBNick regales Jonathan with the third-person multiplayer shooter Aliens FireTeam Elite, a fun game and faithful use of the IP.
Book Club: Dune, part 1
October 06, 2021 01:16 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBThe gang discusses the first part of the classic sci-fi novel Dune, the original text, how it was, how it is: ahead of its time, but also a product of it.
Returnal
September 28, 2021 22:12 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBJonathan and Nick speak with Justin from TheTallGuyGamer about Returnal, a haunting experience of platforming, bullet-hell, and don't forget despair, desperation, and madness. This game is a masterpiece, and incredibly strong early entry for the PS5. Check out more of Justin's good works on YouTube, or his featured post on Destructoid: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqmxgDz3GpV2fvFiHE5XNQ https://www.destructoid.com/video-game-memories-throughout-the-years/
Platformer Short: Kindom: New Lands
September 22, 2021 01:05 - 10 minutes - 9.63 MBJonathan recounts the serene-yet-intense side-scrolling tower defense game Kingdom: New Lands, a delightful diversion for a few hours per run, at an extremely affordable price.
Ox-Eye Media & DeepWater Games
September 15, 2021 01:46 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBJonathan and Nick speak with El Whitcomb, Community Manager for Ox-Eye Media, which includes DeepWater Games, and their fantastically fun and accessible games, named FloorPlan and Welcome to your Perfect Home. Also Hot new games coming soon! DeepWaterGaming.com @DeepWaterGames
Platformer Short: Rogue Legacy
September 14, 2021 23:39 - 7 minutes - 7.22 MBJonathan recounts and wonderful gameplay experience of Rogue Legacy: charming, fun, and a great rogue-lite all around.
Matt Forbeck
September 01, 2021 00:30 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBNick and Jonathan speak with Matt Forbeck, a truly phenomenal font of creativity, writer of dozens of books, contributor to scads of games, including BioMutant and the upcoming tabletop Marvel role-playing game, and of course his own Shotguns and Sorcery. Check out everything at Forbeck.com.
Platformer Shorts: Castle Crashers
August 24, 2021 21:02 - 10 minutes - 9.19 MBJonathan recounts the joy of Castle Crashers, a fun, brilliantly-animated beat-em-up, great for couch co-op, or as a solo experience.