The Free Cheese

This week on The Free Cheese, we dwell on the Cell. After twenty years, we reminisce on the life of the PlayStation 3. We discuss its shaky start and where we remember feeling disinterest. Then, we look at how the story changed and what the console became by the end of its life.

This week on The Free Cheese, nothing but stones. Can you make clothes with hair? Can you wear guns for shoes? Bayonetta can! We enter the world of Bayonetta to see how the hack and slash genre has evolved, where it remains the same, and how well we handle the challenge.

This week on The Free Cheese, how do you say "Lara?" For its 30th anniversary, we explore the secrets of the world one tomb at a time in Tomb Raider. We discuss the surprising sequences of the game, how much was packed into the series' first outing, and the impact that Lara Croft had on video games.

This week on The Free Cheese, video game acronyms! Monolith Productions lives on through its legacy and we celebrate with F.E.A.R. just in time for its twenty-first anniversary. We discuss how the blend of horror and first-person shooter action creates something new, touch on the game's influences, and share the importance of overcoming great fear.

This week on The Free Cheese, is it cool? A portion of our focus this year has been the exploration of variety within the PlayStation library, but this episode inspects a title inspired by them and designed with modern sensibilities. We arrive at Crow Country, eager to see how it compares to the games it draws influence from and what the past thirty years of game design and convention provide to the experience. We seek the answers that lie within the center of the game (and its narrative) and then add Crow Country to The List.

This week on The Free Cheese, snip snip. Our exploration through the PlayStation library takes a turn to horror with the first North American release in the Clock Tower series. We each explore our own version of the story's events, learn the secrets within the game, and do what we can to avoid the Scissorman. Tune in to hear the 200th ranking on The List!

This week on The Free Cheese, there goes summer. We reflect on another fourth of the year passing by by diving into the biggest news stories from the quarter. We look back at PlayStation canceling...everything? And Xbox collapsing...everything? Meanwhile, Nintendo tries to revitalize the industry with Nintendo 64 remakes. We check in with the games we each played on and off the podcast over the summer, then look ahead at what's scheduled to release that we're looking forward to playing.

This week on The Free Cheese, you are now in the Forest of Confusion. We have accepted the invitation to darkness and embark on our adventure into Tecmo's Deception. Exploring and designing the game's castle, we set traps and chase down intruders to defy the irony of self-sought freedom.

This week on The Free Cheese, Dogs loves to wear this T-shirt. We're trapped on Dinosaur Island and are forced to uncover its secrets when Christmas vacation is significantly interrupted. As Blue Stinger joins The List, we reflect on the Dreamcast and discuss our time with one of its launch titles.

This week on The Free Cheese, how the soup is made. Ahead of selecting another season's worth of video games to play and rank, we talk about what goes into building out a schedule. Then, we share the games that we (probably) won't add to The List (probably).