The Crate and Crowbar

Tom, Chris and Tom discuss Campo Santo’s move to Valve, the latest Ludum Dare, things what dogs do, Battletech, and Frostpunk. Plus: who you actually play as in The Sims, playing games rightly wrong, and legally mandating the ‘woo’ button. Here’s more on the Campo Santo news. Tom F’s big list o’ Ludum Dare recommendations [...]

Live from Rezzed! Chris, Tom F, Graham and Alex discuss their games of the show, and also Crusader Kings II. Plus: real live questions! Note: we’re still waiting to get the footage of this episode back from the Rezzed guys, so the YouTube version will be a little later than usual. Sorry! Here’s a PC [...]

Chris talks to Hannah Flynn from Failbetter about Sunless Skies, life in game development, reaching broader audiences, the myriad flaws of Zoolander 2, and more. This is the last in our series of chats from Rezzed – hope you’ve enjoyed them! Find out more about Sunless Skies here, and find this episode on YouTube here. [...]

At Rezzed we sat down with Disco Elysium design and writing lead Robert Kurvitz to discuss entering the games industry as an artist, the complexities of RPG design, politics, and disco. Find out more about Disco Elysium here, and you can listen to this episode on YouTube if you prefer. The Crate & Crowbar is [...]

Surprise! While we were at Rezzed we recorded a series of short, informal chats with interesting gamespeople. In this first episode, Chris and Alex sit down with X-COM creator Julian Gollop and Snapshot Games co-founder David Kaye to talk Phoenix Point. You can find out more about Phoenix Point on the game’s official site and, [...]

Chris, Alex and Tom S consider the end of SteamSpy, Radical Heights, Jalopy, All Walls Must Fall, and Tom’s daily Slay The Spire tendency. Plus: too much rum, wonky grammar lessons, and the low hop of the robots. SteamSpy announces its inability to continue operating via tweet. Boss Key’s Radical Heights. Here’s Alice O’Connor being [...]

Tom F, Chris and Alex discuss Far Cry 5 (again), Superhot VR, and Minit. Then, a chat about Into The Breach is followed by questions from questions calamity. Plus: the mystery of the third Tom, the lamentable sacking of the sex helicopter, and – what comes, dangling upon a string? Toot toot, it’s the low-hanging [...]

Chris, Pip reunite with Tom Francis to discuss GDC highlights, Sunless Skies, Far Cry 5, and first impressions of All Walls Must Fall. You can find the full IGF results here. Everybody love a bit of Wobble Garden. Rezzed! We’re doing it. Pip’s been playing Sunless Skies. Tom has been playing Far Cry 5 and [...]

Chris and Pip gather in GDC week to discuss basically no news from GDC, many short games you should play, and space mistakes you shouldn’t make in Scavenger SV-4. Plus: a showcase of Pip’s ability to remember a grudge from four years ago, but not a song from last week. Jalopy is out next week. [...]

Pip, Chris and Alex discuss Artifact, Deep Rock Galactic, Vermintide II, and the inevitable end of everything. Plus: π bake it, Garfield’s first name, co-op FOMO, the dings of Catchphrase, Dota Plus, and my libido (an Amiibo.) Anyone for questions? I’ll pour! This is Artifact, the Dota 2 card game, from Vlav. And this is [...]

Tom S, Chris and Alex check in on VR, consider the gorgeous eggs of Final Fantasy XV, and ponder the literary aspirations of Beckett. Oculus’ critical Rift whoopsie has now been resolved. Here’s The Day Today’s remarkable foreshadowing of the experience of using Google Earth VR. Here’s Final Fantasy XV. And here’s the most important [...]

Tom, Tom and Chris discuss a range of ways in which one might fail upwards, from Into The Breach to Phoenix Point to the spooky bayou of Hunt: Showdown. Plus: my dog ate Hunt The Freeman, accent quandries, questionable etymology, and a sad dearth of whale colour options. Into The Breach is out now and, [...]

Pip, Alex and Tom F are back to once again tackle the tough topic of turtle taxonomy. Also games about Garys (Legendary Gary), games by Garys (Abandon Ship), and it would round this out nicely if the other two games related to Garys but they don’t. Cypher and Fe. Also, we’re doing a live show [...]

Pip, Tom F and Alex discuss knowing your enemy in Slay the Spire, dabbling In Other Waters, Dear Esther Live, and turning your tentacles into chickens and bees in Octogeddon. Also: Slay the Spire is in Early Access but already worth it. In Other Waters is about halfway to its goal on Kickstarter. Last Man Kicking [...]

Tom S and Chris are joined by Alex Wiltshire to discuss Into The Breach’s imminent release, why it’s okay to hunt monsters if they’re bastards, RPG combat design and more. Plus: a brief return to Subnautica and further musings on the ocean willies therein; the secret missing element to Subnautica’s survival formula; toxicity, Dota 2, [...]

Tom F, Chris and John R discuss… ‘computer games’. Including but not limited to Iconoclasts, Celeste, Subnautica and Slay The Spire. Plus: wrench size considerations, creating modes for Bennett Foddy (to hurt him), and that thing where Chris says ‘I’m not going to go deep on this’ and then does that. Paragon is no more. [...]

Join Pip under the sea as she heroically embarks on a one-Pip Subnautica special. Featuring the sounds (and underwater bellows) of the game itself. Apologies for the shaky schedule of late: we’ve had extensive holiday-and-illness-related scheduling problems over the last couple of weeks. Expect regular service to resume next week, and Patreon backers should note [...]

Dark Souls. Is it news? Chris and Pip ponder this and other subjects, including Subnautica’s imminent release, Paladins’ imminent Battlegrounds mode, and Bennett Foddy’s imminent Getting Over It. Here’s info about Dark Souls Remastered. Also, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, which is a thing. As is Total War: Three Kingdoms. And Subnautica. Pip reports [...]

Both Toms join Chris to discuss Recursed, Bridge Constructor Portal, Gorogoa, GTA Online, PUBG, and the games we’re looking forward to in 2018. Plus: a games-from-books jam idea that actually works, things horses don’t do, a bit of Mad Max, a whole lot of boats, and more. Boats. Here’s the IGF shortlist! Congrats, Tom! Baba [...]

All things must end. Or must they? Yes. But sometimes: no. That’s right: it’s the final part of THE MIRACLE AT GREY HOME! You can listen this episode on YouTube here. If you’ve taken the time to listen to the entirety of this nonsense, thank you: we hope you enjoyed it. We’ll be back in [...]

Confrontation leads to new adventure as Chris attempts to write… a spoiler-free description of part three of C&C D&D! You can listen this episode on YouTube here. Tune in tomorrow for the FINALE of THE MIRACLE AT GREY HOME. I mean, it’s only Christmas. You don’t have anything else to do, right? Many thanks to [...]

Our Dungeons & Dragons roleplay adventure continues as our heroes take their quest to the streets of Grey Home. If you prefer, you can listen this episode on YouTube here. Come back tomorrow for part three of THE MIRACLE AT GREY HOME. Many thanks to Mike Debenham for his fabulous contribution to this series. Our [...]

It’s time for something a little different. In the run-up to Christmas, we’ll be posting our first-ever Dungeons & Dragons live play podcast: a magical mystery murder adventure called THE MIRACLE AT GREY HOME. This is part one. Expect part two tomorrow, part three after that, and so on. You can listen on YouTube if [...]

Chris, Tom and Pip came here to round up our games of the year and eat praline chocolates… and we’ve got a whole lot of praline chocolates. Also, Pip hates pralines. This is the last regular C&C episode of 2017! As such, you might want to check out the YouTube version: it’s that time again [...]

Get ready for a visceral Christmas experience as Chris, by himself, talks about Hello Neighbour and Hellblade. By himself. This is, needless to say, a bit of a stopgap episode before we gather for this year’s annual roundup special. As such, Patreon backers will not be charged for it. There’s a lot more C&C coming [...]

Chris, Tom F and John Roberts discuss indie news, Seven: The Days Long Gone, Destiny 2’s first expansion, Sorcery!, Shadowhand, and more. ‘More’ in this case includes the opportunity horse, the verb ‘to suchet’, a bit of Warhammer, the changes to Patreon, our upcoming Christmas specials, and so on. Joakim Sandberg’s Iconoclasts has a release [...]

Chris and Tom S discuss Destiny 2 changes, Civ VI’s new expansion, the horizontal lifestyle enabled by the Steam Link, and all of the things that Chris likes about Battlefront II. Plus: the cultural benefits of expending one (1) Sean Bean, why you probably should try to fight a crocodile, games-as-toys, C&C D&D, returning to [...]

Tom F is joined by Zack and Kevin from Asymmetric for a Crate & Crowbar/Videogames Hotdog crossover episode recorded at Fantastic Arcade in Austin, Texas. Discussed: the explosive appeal of Untitled Goose Game, Wilmot’s Warehouse, Bennett Foddy’s Getting Over It, Minute, Into The Breach, and loads more. It’s all in the shownotes below. Patreon backers [...]

Chris and both Toms dig into the Battlefront II microtransactions thing, momentarily become a film podcast while talking about Injustice 2, and rewind back to Shadwen for a chat about parenthood. Plus: a voice from the past returns, the importance of the trudge AND the squeak, Superman’s uncanny lips, and Ian M. Banks’ Play of [...]

Tom, Chris and Alex have medium takes on Call of Duty: World War II, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Dota 2 Turbo, and the industry’s latest travails. Plus: getting the better of Satan, hopes for a hairy new Hitman, co-op jobs, Tuesday, impressing kids with chicken, bud motivation, and more. Chris talks a bit about Dota 2 [...]

Chris, Tom F and John Roberts discuss Spelunky 2, Dota 2’s update, Wolfenstein II, Divinity: Original Sin, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and other oranges besides. Plus: the faulty UX of life, dancemat Tinder, internet things forever lost to time, and diminishing takeout returns. Spelunky 2 has been announced! Here’s the trailer. Dota 2 has been updated! [...]

Tom, Chris and Tom discuss Steam’s new curator system, Wolfenstein II, Destiny 2, and Opus Magnum. Plus: an episode of 999 featuring a rogue X-Wing CD-ROM, the New Game+ of your life, and the machinations of the hated foe, Alex Wiltshire. The Halloween Steam Sale is on. Stories Untold is good, and cheap! Here’s Valve’s [...]

Chris, Pip and Tom discuss the new Zachtronics game, the closure of Visceral, A Mortician’s Tale, Shadow of War, and more. Plus: Babe Runner: Pig In The City, the midpoint between The Raid and Watership Down, hot cauliflower facts, inadvisable waffle digressions, and some videogame questions maybe? Jury’s out on that one. Here’s the trailer [...]

Chris, Tom and Tom discuss the 10 year anniversary of The Orange Box, Universal Paperclips, Middle-earth (TM) Shadow of War, and EVE Valkyrie: Warzone. Plus: explaining your game in fifty words or less, Chris’ worst idea, games fit for an Oxbridge application, rum, and more. The Orange Box is 10 years old this week! Here’s [...]

Chris and the Toms discuss Assassin’s Creed: Oranges, Divinity: Oranges Sin 2, and the hunt for a missing crate of origins. Also: Cuphead’s accessibility, Skaven’s terrifying ‘shitty rats anywhere’ power in Total War: Warhammer 2, and Battlegrounds’ Chinese review bomb. Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds has had 70,000 Steam reviews in the last 30 days and its [...]

Pip, Tom F, and some refreshing glasses of gin and tonic assemble to reflect upon the release of Heat Signature before moving on to other hip and happening PC games of the moment, including: XCOM 2: War of the Chosen and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Also! Your questions regarding community controversies and one of like a million [...]

Tom, Chris and Tom gather on the eve of Heat Signature’s release to talk Divinity: Original Sin 2, which they haven’t actually played, and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, which they have. Plus: character name conventions, systems with character, the secrets of a Twitter drafts folder, and the number of action points consumed by making [...]

Chris, Tom, Pip and Tom discuss Heat Signature’s impending release, FUGL, XCOM 2, Tooth and Tail, and loads of questions. Plus: top Chris Pip tips, one-handed Final Fantasy, the problem of being both extremely fast and extremely poisoned, and bums. Again. Find out more about Heat Signature, the game what Tom done, here. Here’s a [...]

Chris and Pip convene in a post-Tom world to discuss PUBG’s popularity, new Life is Strange, and Absolver. Also Chris says he won’t talk about Destiny 2, and then does. We’ve skipped the questions section this week due to our (temporarily) reduced headcount – we’d like to dig into them properly when we’ve got at [...]

Notorious hobbledehoys Pip, Tom F and Tom S gather to discuss gaming matters of the day, including the plot of Half-Life 2: Episode 3, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, Destiny 2, Dead Cells and bums. Plus! Your questions and finest game name substitutions. Show notes: BIG NEWS [...]

Chris, Tom F and returning guest John Roberts talk Gamescom news, Technomancers, West of Loathing, snakes and Flotillas. Here’s the Age of Empires IV trailer. Also, Jurassic Thingy. Overwatch’s latest short, which Chris doesn’t like, the tiresome arsehole. Here’s that interview where EA’s Patrick Soderlund talks about the possibility of Mass Effect coming back. John’s [...]

Pip, Chris and Tom discuss No Man’s Sky’s latest update, 868-HACK’s latest expansion, and The Long Dark’s latest aurorae. Plus middle names, questions, and wat. Here are some of those XCOM 2 propaganda posters. Snake people? Don’t fuck them. Here’s the Prey demo. Also, West of Loathing. Everybody’s been playing that No Man’s Sky. Tom’s [...]

Chris, Tom and Tom discuss Artifact, the Dota 2 International, Hellblade, Shadow Tactics, The Shrouded Isle, Lawbreakers and more. Please note: we discuss the recent Hellblade debate, including some mechanical spoilers, from around the 28 minute mark to the 49 minute mark. After that, there’s a less-potentially-spoilery chat about the game itself. Here’s the announcement [...]

Pip, Chris, Tom and Tom celebrate 200 episodes the only way they know how: by doing another episode. Featuring The Long Dark, Tacoma, ducks, rum and time. Plus: looking forward to Guild Wars 2’s next expansion, the future of esports and VR and dancing and stuff as experienced at ChinaJoy, hastily abandoned segue ambitions, meditations [...]

Two Toms and a Pip gather to discuss the death of everything, Unity’s rep, Pyre, Walden, and QUERN. Also, mad clunking noises! We had to record on a table with the old mic this week, so apologies for the dip in sound quality. Normal services will resume shortly. Show notes: Contrary to what we thought on [...]

Chris and Tom S are joined by PC Gamer editor-in-chief Samuel Roberts to discuss The Sexy Brutale, GTA Online and open world co-op. Then, suddenly, Pip! Plus: CBeebies on fire near the Sennheiser Gate, pulling out of Everything, old Dota grudges, the mysteries of the Sweaty Brutale, and an encounter with Kelvin in The David [...]

Pip, Tom and Chris discuss VR, Hollow Knight, Slime Rancher, a little PUBG, esports, whether or not we should have more wine, and puns. Plus: quadges from quadges, bodily censure, the 7/10 fallacy, and loads more. Be summoned by the hot takes bell, be repelled by the heady tang of fresh plort. when you go [...]

Chris, Tom F and John R discuss Tyranny, Zombie Night Terror, Diablo III, Everspace, and so on. Also: a fate worse than Bejewelled Infinite, things gravity can’t do, and a briefcase full of snakes. New Overwatch man, Doomfist. Evil Genius 2 is being worked on by Rebellion. The first one was made by Elixir. John’s [...]

Chris, Tom, Tom and secret Pip discuss Steam sales, Diablo III’s Necromancer, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and more. Plus: meditations on the question of review-bombing, how the radishes are doing, assorted crime, and an extended discussion of Poirot for some reason. Looks like meat’s back on the prix fixe, boys. Diablo III got its Necromancer this week. [...]

Pip, Tom, Chris and Tom discuss mod drama, patch note etiquette, Dead Cells, Tekken 7, Nex Machina, and Dota 2’s co-op update. Plus: mangled metaphor, the worst names for things, time management, allergies, and more. Apologies for the dip in sound quality this episode: as we explain at the beginning, Britain’s heat wave rendered our [...]