Our Favorite Games of 2018: Austin and Natalie Don’t Know How to Shut Up

God. We. So... So here's the thing. We. Hrm. Incredibly deep breath.

When we first discussed doing this new end of year format, one of the things we liked about the focus on podcast discussions was that they would be a tight, focused way to critically dig into our favorites while still keeping the discursive flexibility of conversation between friends. The plan was for each of these to be between 30 minutes and an hour long, regardless of if we were doing an episode on a single game or one on our respective top 10 lists.

Natalie and I went for nearly three hours. Look.

On the plus side: This means that we had ample time to dive into everything we wanted to talk about but didn't have the chance to yet this year. We talk Red Dead Redemption 2, the critical apparatus of the game's industry, and the terrible power of polish. We talk anime gacha games and the pull of comfort play. We talk about giant robots, queer bodies, and utopian ontologies. And, uh, we spent the final 45 minutes or so of the podcast going deep into Undertale spoiler territory.

I guess what I'm saying is: Thank you for your patience. And enjoy?

Discussed: Into the Breach, BattleTech, Monster Hunter: World, Hollow Knight, Hitman 2, Minit, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Sea of Thieves, No Man's Sky: NEXT, Heaven Will Be Mine, Picross 2, Ashen, Frozen Synapse 2, Slay the Spire, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Tetris Effect, Dead Cells, Undertale, Bloodborne, Danmachi Memoria Freize, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Minecraft, Unexplored, Celeste