Places to go, people to see...
I've been meaning to write this article for a wee while so I'm going to get it done right now before I fire through my stack of comics for Sunday. There are a helluva a lot of podcasts and websites which I find myself visiting week by week and have a huge influence on sonicsring. If you are stupid enough to like our general lack of knowledge and poor excuse for humour, you are going to love these guys. Just make sure you come back after doing the tour!
First up is Stage Clear. Perrin Ashcroft and Rob Fahey have been nurturing this cracking wee video games podcast since the start of the year. What separates them from the rest of the pack is the inside line on what is happening in the industry (Rob is a games journalist, Perrin, a game developer) and the sharp, biting wit which they choose to unleash on one another and their audience. Season one finished a few weeks back but season two is due to start very, very soon so get them added to your iTunes weekly schedule.
Next up is the rather superb Gamewank. Ric and Jamie are a pair of reprobates who really shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a microphone yet once a month they do exactly that. The forthcoming mix of video game reviews, discussion and sketches makes for me, the funniest gaming podcast out there by a mile. Joyous, irreverent stuff.
A lot of projects were heavily influenced and encouraged from the Consolevania forum not least of which was sonicsring. Another new site has sprung forth from a couple of Antipodean lads, Rob and Logan with the rather charming Up, Up, Down, Down-ers. Offering a mix of gaming opinion and plenty of hilariously well-edited videos. Very, very excited to see what the lads do with this site in the coming months.
For those of you more interested in film news rather than video games, you need to check out all the up-to-the-minute movie news Richard Brunton compiles on his site Filmstalker. Having had him as a guest on the podcast this weekend, I can tell you that he is the kind of person I desperately want to hate but can't - funny and knowledgeable with that rare ability of passing on that knowledge while never being boring. Damn you and your silky tongue, Richard!
Few other quick mentions… One Life Left is another show which I have discovered recently as recommended by Perrin from Stage Clear. Ste, Simon and Ann skillfully maneuver us around the weekly gaming news whilst keeping everything lighthearted and fun. You can find the podcast of their weekly Resonance 104 radio show here. Finally, it would be remiss of me to not mention what Rab Florence formerly of Consolevania is doing now. Along with his writing partner Iain Connell, they run the hilarious www.connellandflorence.com which has new content up there pretty much daily.
