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Games, game, video games. Who likes to talk about video games?

EVERYONE AND THEIR CAT.

Which is not a bad thing! I've reviewed and listened to (and still listen to) loads of podcasts that do nothing more than discuss video games, and you know what? Each one is a unique little beam of sunshine. Differing viewpoints, gotta love 'em.

I like to listen to a set of friends sitting around and recalling the arcades they haunted in their youth, I like it when people flip their lids over the next generation of consoles, I like hearing the funny bugs and the stories of how people have accidentally written-over hundreds of hours of game play.

So let us go once more into the breach, together, to discover and admire The Crate & Crowbar podcast.

That's a great question that you just didn't ask but I'm thinking in my head.

Relevant Links:
Main Site!
RSS Feed!
Get the podcast via iTunes!
Twitter!

First off, to make sure this is your bag, The Crate & Crowbar is a PC gaming podcast. Let it be known that they will not be touching on subjects that involve your precious console-related hijinks. Your hosts include Tom Francis (@pentadact), Graham Smith (@gonnas), Marsh Davies (@marshdavies), Tom Senior (@PCGLudo), Chris Thursten (@cthursten) and the cool part, the part that made me nod at my monitor in appreciation, is that they all have experience within the PC gaming realm. That's neat, right? That's what drew me to the podcast in the first place, and I was not disappointed with what I had downloaded.

Content Rating: Explicit because of swear words.

Average Episode Length: Each episode is dang near TWO HOURS. That's a tremendous podcast length!

Drinking Game: Pick a drink that catches your eye from Drunken Moogle, and then Google a stupid drinking game that relates to the game your drink is themed on.

The Crate & Crowbar podcast is your weekly, ramble into the wide world of PC gaming. And I don't mean ramble in the way of an unfocused monologue, but more like walking out of your front door and heading out in whatever direction pleases you that day. After about two hours, you'll return to your front porch, open the door, and feel satisfied with how you spent your time.

If Valve continues to be right about this and they keep working at this there will be some future where everything is free, but everyone is also rich, and no one understands why!

The focus of the hosts' discussion is both wide-and-industry-savvy as well as the narrow-what-I-played-last-night zoom. For instance, in one episode they go from discussing Steam and Valve, to the overall play style of DOTA 2, to one hosts experience and recollection of how and why he plays. It's fun to listen to and the hosts are engaging and charming.

Release Schedule: Weekly release on Friday.

Music: None that I've noticed.

Unintentionally Good Part: I'm a sucker for foreign accents.

Unintentionally Bad Part: With the pace of a longer podcast such as this, you might find that when a topic you're uninterested in crops up it will last a lot longer than you'd please.

Unrelated rating: Five out of five levels of Dagon.

Whether you have fitness goals, business goals, or personal dreams, this is your source for success!

I am eternally wary of people who wish to motivate me. My cynical nature forbids me to look at anyone who wants to tell me, however earnestly, to 'be the best me I can be' without my eyebrow raising up in reflexive skepticism. Maybe I don't want to achieve! Maybe it was my goal today to dip Fritos into a jar of cold queso! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!!

But then again, it is nice to have someone tell you that you're free to be you (and me). Once in a while, I need to be reminded that, much like the kitten hanging from the branch, that I need to just hang in there, baby. There's a difference between trying to gird your loins against the iniquities of the world and hearing a voice that exists outside of your head agreeing with you. Sometimes, even when you know that all the weird body/wealth/swag related insecurities the world tries to press on you is bullshit, it is nice to hear someone else agree with you and let you know you're all right so long as you do your best.

That's nice. I like that kind of motivation. More talking about shaking off unreal expectations and maintaining good habits, less of the "bald eagle soaring majestically poster with a world like AMBITION" posters that are all over my workplace.

Trish Blackwell's Confidence on the Go wants a little bit of your time to help you realize the awesome within. 


Relevant Links:
Trish Blackwell's Main Site!
Podcast Archives!
Trish's Twitter!
Shop!

Content Rating: Clean, and marked as such in iTunes.

Average Episode Length:  A sample of five episodes show an average time of 34 minutes.

Drinking Game: There is something that feels sketchy about a drinking game tied to a motivational podcast. How about we say you set a goal for today, and tie the goal to a favorite snack. Once you complete the goal, you get the snack! Mmm, goal oriented cupcake...

The difference between you who is going to change and someone who is not is that you are going to make a decision to be open to change.

Host Trish Blackwell manages to walk the fine line of motivational catch phrases and earnest real-talk. I initially flinched each time that she used a phrase such as "accelerating my personal motivation" because saying things like "believe to achieve!" and "reach for the stars" is great and empowering, but that don't put money in the bank account or get a person off the couch and into the gym.

However! Blackwell is out to pin down the issues people are dealing with in their lives, and show how to move past them. Body image issues, tearing down the "facade of perfectionism" that hides real issues, all the stuff that you might acknowledge on the edge of your thoughts as negative influences, but can never really shake off. It's encouraging without being pandering, and I appreciate that.

Release Schedule:  Once a week, with no set day.

Unintentionally Good Part: Trish Blackwell believes in the power of reading, and that's awesome because books are awesome.

Unintentionally Bad Part:  Trish Blackwell is a personal trainer and does want you to pay her for her training services. The podcast is wholly free, but expect a little sales pitch at the end of each episode. There's nothing wrong with her trying to sell her services, I just want you to be aware so you don't get all jaded about it.

Unrelated rating: Those last 2 minutes out of a 6 minute mile you're working towards (you can do it!).

“No good at life, but very funny sometimes with the commentary.”
― Kurt Vonnegut

Oh, Reader.  The things I do for you.

I've provided you with plenty of reviews in the past, haven't I?  But it's never been enough.  Every(ish) week I'm forced to head out into the depths of the Internet, armed with my machete and one of those neat pith hats, to retrieve a new podcast that I can in turn share with you.  This process has led me to many different destinations and while most of them have been good, fun places with clean bathrooms, some of them are beyond the realm of safe listening.

There are podcasts out there that are deeper, darker depths than my headphones were meant to travel through.  We're talking "Heart of Darkness" deep, here.

Do you remember reading that story in high school?  No?  Well trust me, it fits.

Let me apologize for reviewing Boner City USA.  

Relevant Links:
Main Site!
Get the podcast through iTunes!
Get the podcast for other ways to listen that aren't iTunes!
Store, complete with rad t-shirts!

Content Rating:  EXPLICIT.  Explicit, explicit, expliciiiiiiiit!  I know I've tagged many, many other podcasts as explicit before but this time I MEAN IT.  For the sake of not violating Blogger's "no porn" rule, I am not even going to pull quotes from the podcast.

[I like to sing the word 'explicit' to the tune of that "Tradition" song from Fiddler on the Roof.  EXPLICIIIIIT!  EXPLICIT!]

Average Episode Length:  About an hour?  Long enough, trust me.

Drinking Game:  Pick 3-5 bottles out of your liquor cabinet at random.  Mix them all together, and then drink until you are able to speak freely about all the unspeakable things you've done in the past.  

Release Schedule:  At least twice a week.

Boner City USA is a comedy podcast hosted by comedians Andrew Dewitt, Dan Bialek, Jeff Danis and Ryan O’Neill in which they discuss the day’s pressing issues in the smartest dumbest way possible.

Maybe I'm being a bit dainty about Boner City USA.  I mean, this is the Internet, right?  If you want G Rated material, there are plenty of places to seek it out, and if you want the NC-17 rated stuff then it is certainly out there in equal (if not greater) measure.  So let me try and talk about this podcast while avoiding the fact that it is so vulgar I can't listen to it at work and I use headphones.

Boner City USA is schadenfreude in audio format. The four hosts are shameless in their discussions of their lives and will share every embarrassing facet of human existence that they have run across.  Stories involve childhood near death experiences with grain silos, interactions at the YMCA, and every aspect of dating and interpersonal relationships that you can imagine.  They'll probably even talk about a few that you haven't thought up.

The podcast is brutally honest and brutally hilarious.  Four comedians spilling their guts out and arguing with one other turns out some pretty funny conversations, and you may not want to be driving or using a knife to chop veggies when you listen.

Music:  I think they pick whatever songs they like for the intro/outro.

Unintentionally Good Part:  I like that they assign themselves jobs/titles within the realm of Boner City.

Unintentionally Bad Part:  It is super-awkward to try and share this podcast with someone else.  No one seems to be prepared for what comes out of the speakers when I play episodes for them.

Unrelated rating:  Two free t-shirts out of three.  By the way, when I reviewed another Dorksplosion network podcast, Gamedians, they sent me 3 free t-shirts from their store!  That is offically the most I have ever been "paid" for running this blog.  I can say that the shirts are comfy and high-quality.  Haven't found the right venue to wear the Boner City USA shirt to, but who knows what will happen in the future.