CORE - Core Gaming for Core Gamers
Hosted by podcasting vet, Scott Johnson, Jon Jagger and Beau Schwartz. Weekly, on the frogpants network.
Scott Johnson - Jon Jagger - Beau Schwartz · Scott Johnson
Show overview
CORE - Core Gaming for Core Gamers has been publishing since 2017, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 472 episodes. That works out to over 1000 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run over ninety minutes — most land between 1h 40m and 2h 48m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Leisure show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 6 days ago, with 21 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Scott Johnson.
From the publisher
Hosted by podcasting vet, Scott Johnson, Jon Jagger and Beau Schwartz. Weekly, on the frogpants network. Video games and the issues around them every week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest Episodes
View all 472 episodesCORE 521: And...it's gone.
CORE 520: A Salty Remake
CORE 519: D Day
CORE 518: Swung Too Far
CORE 517: Just Grab The Fish
CORE 516: Inflation Station
Nerdtacular 26 tickets, bags, and CORE swag. Sony raising PS5 prices. Stormgate losing multiplayer after server partner pivots to AI. Super Mario Galaxy Movie reviews are bad. Classic Resident Evil games on Steam, go GOG instead. Scott and Jon played Resident Evil Requiem together (Tuesdays 1pm). Scott in WoW and Dragon Quest Builders 2. Jon hooked on Crimson Desert. Beau wrapped Pirate Yakuza, more multiplayer Slay the Spire 2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 515: Nintendollars
Nintendo's surprising decision to make physical Switch 2 games more expensive than digital versions. EverQuest is relaunching in a format designed for time-strapped adults and old farts like us, Capcom is patching out some “accidentally” written incest from Street Fighter 6, Clair Obscur's devs confirm there's no canon ending, new gameplay footage dropped for both Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. And loads more on top of that!Scott- Crimson Desert- Dragon Quest Builders 2- WoW MidnightJon- Crimson DesertBeau- Crimson Desert- Slay the Spire 2- Diablo 4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 514: Crimson Desserts
Crimson Desert launched today, reviews are mixed as expected, amazing open world, minimal story, no traditional leveling, open-world jank. John is at Disneyland! DLSS 5 announced by Nvidia, AI-yassifies characters without permission from devs like Capcom. Listener indie game Garden and a Goat announced, wishlistable on Steam. WoW Midnight discussion, level boosts are hard without knowing your class…but maybe no more? Pinball FX Williams Collection recommended, Pinball Map app finds nearby machines. Evoker alt class tried and abandoned. And loads more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 513: Ramdemic
Nerdtacular 2026 tickets holding at early bird pricing, plus a swag bag-only option now available at frogpants.com. News:- NetEase pulls funding for Gang of Dragon — future of the game unknown- Valve still targeting 2026 for Steam Machines despite RAM shortages; rumored to be a factor in Sony/Xbox strategy shifts- EA lays off Battlefield staff post record-breaking launch- Jeff Kaplan on his Blizzard exit — plus his one Overwatch regret: making it too team-focused when players want to shine individually- Fortnite raising V-Buck prices- Timberborn hits 1.0- Xbox pushing "everything is an Xbox" / Project Helix, leaning into Windows 11- Valve reports 6,000+ games made over $100k on Steam last year Shared Play: Slay the Spire 2 — all three played it, early GOTY contenderScott: WoW: Midnight (great time, nearly max level, campaign a little cheesy), Thysiastery (turn-based dungeon crawler, very positive on Steam). Also: The Instance now posting Fridays at frogpants.com/instance.Jon: Finished and 100%'d Resident Evil RequiemBeau: Slay the Spire 2, more Star Trek Voyageur, dipped into new Diablo IV season (may have bought the Doom skin)Feedback: Listener thinks he catches Scott being simultaneously terrified by AI and delighted by one-button AI rotations in WoW. And he is wrong about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 512: Sony Goes Yoink
Looks like Sony is officially getting out of the port business and going all Nintendo on us again. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake is indeed happening. Highguard is officially leaving in just a few days. MetaCritic got weird with AI over the last few days. The games we played, a lake correction, Zillow and WoW, and some Diablo 2 stuff!GAMES PLAYEDScott- World of Warcraft Midnight- RoadCraftJon- Resident Evil: RequiemBeau- Legend of Grimrock- Star Trek: Voyager- The Killing Stone- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon- Overwatch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 511: Claws Out
March 2026 is shaping up to be a massive month for gaming, with big hitters like Crimson Desert, Marathon, Pokémon Pokopia, Slay the Spire 2, Solasta 2, Death Stranding 2 on PC, and the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection all loaded up. Also, Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are out at Xbox, while Sony raises a few eyebrows by signaling a potential end to PC ports. Our eyebrows are defiinately raised. Marvel's Wolverine finally has a September release date, and Valve finds itself in legal hot water as New York's Attorney General sues over alleged illegal gambling promotion to kids among other things. Also, Overwatch is going mobile with Overwatch Rush. Weird.GAMES PLAYED:Scott- Overwatch- UFO 50 (with Van)- Abathor (with Van)- Worms WMD (with Van)- TowerFall (with Van)- Duck Game (with Van)- Boomerang Fu (with Van)Jon- Biorand Resident Evil 2- Resident Evil 6- Resident Evil RequiemBeau- Darkhaven (demo)- Vampire Crawlers (demo)- Dead Spies (demo)- Pragmata (demo)- Wanderburg (demo)- Underkeep (demo)- Esoteric Ebb (demo)- Arms of God (demo)- Armatus (demo)- Wild Blue Skies (demo)- Farever (demo)- Rune Dice (demo)- Twilight Imperium (demo)- John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (demo)- Far Far West (demo)- Baldur's Gate 3 (Honour Mode)- Overwatch- Marathon Server Slam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 510: Creation of Ashes
That ashes of creation thing is just getting messier and messier by the day. Also, Unity wants you to type your next casual video game. We will explain. GAMES PLAYEDSHARED PLAY THIS WEEK- Diablo 2 Resurrected – Infernal Edition- Overwatch- Dobbel DungeonSCOTT- Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp- No Man's Sky – Remnant Mode- Escape from Ever AfterJON- Mewgenics- TR-49 - Resident Evil 2- FortniteBEAU- Baldur's Gate 3 – Honour Mode- Star Trek Voyager Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE: Sony State of Play
Our live watch-a-long AUDIO of of today's Sony State of Play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 509: The Play of State
As we prep for the State of Play today, we talk about the games we played this week, and hit the news about all the Warlocks coming to all the Diablos. Highguard and 2XKO getting big layoffs, and the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show!Games Played This WeekShared Play- Jon & Beau: MewgenicsScott- Animal Crossing (on Switch 2)- Goblin Sushi- V-Rally 4Jon- Mewgenics- Dragon Quest III HD-2D RemakeBeau- Yakuza 3- Marathon- Crimson Desert- Game with Balls- Ravenswatch (as Merlin)- Skate Story- Overwatch- Enshrouded (Solo)- Deadlock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 508: Just Take Off The 2
Overwatch might be making a big play with some re-branding, a slew of new heroes, and loads more. Will it put things back on top for the team shooter to beat? We talk about that, plus the Ashes of Creation mess, Steam hardware talk from Valve, and what might be the end of all things Outer Worlds.GAMES PLAYED- The Midnight Walk (Scott)- Butcher's Creek (Scott)- LUNARK (Scott)- Resident Evil 2 (Jon)- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (Jon)- Super Nintendo (Jon)- Pirate Yakuza (Beau)- Overwatch (Beau)- Valheim (Beau) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 507: Highguard is Midguard
So, now that Highguard is out, what the hell is it? We have takes. Also, the games of Feb, new Mario trailers, Dispatch censorship worries, Hasbro up to no good, Bobby with a Mini Instance chat about the Midnight pre-patch and upcoming launch in WoW, all the games we played and more!Shared Play- Highguard Scott- V Rising- Caravan SandWitchJon- Final Fantasy VII: RebirthBeau- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii- Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords- Cobalt Core- Jump Space- Enshrouded Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 506: CORE Veronica
Let’s talk about the Xbox showcase today, as well as the dust up over CDProjekt Red and VR mods. Plus RE getting yet another remake, Highguard getting a freebie, Marathon maybe doing ok afterall, and Nintendo getting you guy another weird toy. GAMES PLAYED:SCOTTStar Wars Dark Forces Remaster Fire Emblem: Engage Terra PitJONI Final Fantasy VII RemakeBEAU Elden Ring Shinobi Guild Wars Reforged Pirate Yakuza Heroes of the Storm Peak Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE Special: Warren Davis & The Creation of Q*Bert
Scott sits down with Warren Davis for a deep look at the creation of one of the great arcade games of all time, Q*Bert, as well as his direct impact on everything from the Joust seires to Mortal Kombat to Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Check out his book: ‘Creating Q*bert and Other Classic Video Arcade Games’! Some amazing insight in this episode with Warren, and we hope enjoy it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 505: Episode, Not Studio
Where the heck is Highguard? Also, Kratos has been cast, RE:R got showcased today, Tomb Raider series gives us a look at Sophie Turner in the role, Ubisoft doing more Ubisoft things, we have an end date for New World, the end of Anthem this week, and more. We played Cozy Caravan, Marble's Marbles, Find my Buddy, OddCore, Trails in The Sky 1st Chap, FF VII remake, Yakuza Kiwami 2, FFI and IV, and a little Yakuza Pirates. Plus your emails and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 504: Gateway Timeout
January Releases: Let's mostly focus on Animal Crossing and FFVII Remake for Switch 2, plus Code Vein 2 and Highguard. (yeah, we kinda forgot about Highguard too.)StarCraft Shooter coming to Blizzcon? It might be Blizzard’s third attempt at a SC shooter, reportedly an open-world project led by Dan Hay (Far Cry fame).Other stuff: Awesome Games Done Quick, a Starfield Star Wars conversion, and FF Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles hitting 1 million players.We discuss games we played this week, including PlippUp, Fallout 4/New Vegas, Trails in the Sky, The Séance of Blake Manor, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Voidigo and beating Powerwash Simulator 2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.