Good "podcast" videogames

[RedRooster]

Firstly, that's not a typo and I'm not looking for good videogames podcasts.

After losing the daily commute through working from home, I needed a new way to catch-up on podcasts. Sure, I could have done it while taking up a new fitness regime and going for a run...but I ended up doing this while gaming instead. 

I know I'm far from the only person who does this, and since I'm between games right now and my podcast backlog is building up, I thought I'd turn to the good people of this forum to find some new options. 

I'll start with some recommendations of my own...

 

Littlewood

A bit like Stardew Valley, except there's an obvious end point. You're a legendary hero who is rebuilding the world, after saving it. Basically, this is a game about what happens after you've completed the RPG. It's a load of fun, and perfect for podcast-listening. 

 

Picross S: Mega Drive & Master System Edition

I love the Picross S series, and the Mega Drive/Master System version is all the better for being able to solve a puzzle and see nostalgia. This took me about 54-hours to finish, so there's an absolute load of content here. I'd also recommend Murder By Numbers - probably more so than this - but it requires a lot of reading, so may not be as well suited to podcast playing. 

 

A Short Hike

This is good with or without the sound on, and although it's a really short game (3/4 hours long) it's an absolute load of fun. 

 

Nexomon Extinction 

A Pokemon clone, but one with sharp writing and a surprisingly strong story. Given the nature of the game, it's one that you can play for long periods of time without paying any attention to the story, catching up on your podcast backlog. 

 

Grindstone

 

This might actually be my favourite puzzle game, and it's available at a bargain price on the Switch eshop sale right now. I highly, highly recommend this. 

[Accident Prone]

Excellent idea for a thread!

Rogue-likes/lites and Metroidvanias are my go-to's (Dead Cells, Rogue Legacy, Slay The Spire, Darkest Dungeon, Binding Of Issac, Hollow Knight, Steamworld Dig, Spelunkey, CastleVania:SOTN), but really I can play anything with the sound turned way down and the podcast playlist on. Grinding or doing collecting side quests in open-world games is a good option too (most recently with Horizon: Zero Dawn, Fallout 3, and Far Cry 4 & 5). If you're after something a bit more easy-going, then anything from the Everybody's Golf games.

 

Unpacking looks PERFECT as well, I can't wait to try this out.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Accident Prone

[Jazzy G]

I've watched a few streams of Unpacking, and the detail the devs went to making the game is brilliant. You can tall what movies/games the dvd and game cases are, there's a story being told through the game, the music is great. Apparently they also recorded the sounds of loads of things being put down on different surfaces for extra immersion. 

I'll usually stick anything on with a podcast or video essay from YouTube going in the background. The extra sound can help me concentrate better on what I'm doing at times. It can be good if you're just going to be driving around the map in a Forza Horizon/GTA/Euro Truck type game as well. 

[HarmonicGenerator]

For me it's Star Wars: Galaxy Of Heroes. Absolutely no need for sound on that one, perfect for playing on a commute while listening to podcasts. I know a lot of the countless hours I've spent on that game have been commute hours but what an absolute time guzzler it is.

[Jesse]

If you've got Game Pass then Forza Horizon 5 is ideal. I've done a run-through of everything in that game since its launch while listening to various podcasts. The story isn't anything special and is at its best when its just doing mad visuals anyway, it even has a grindy 'endgame' like a racing World of Warcraft so you can putter around for days on end just completing stuff

[Hannibal Scorch]

Basic bitch Candy Crush Soda or Solitare if I am just on a train. If I am at home, been playing a lot of PGA 2K20 as it was the PS Plus game recently and one you can easily zone out the commentary on. 

[RedRooster]

57 minutes ago, Accident Prone said:

Slay The Spire

I've actually just bought this game on the Switch sale. I must admit, I'm not typically a fan of deck-building games, but the praise for this one has been so universal, and the price was so reasonable that I've decided to give it a go. Some of the other games you've mentioned leaves me feeling our tastes match up reasonably well, so I'm feeling even more optimistic about it. I've never really gelled with Binding of Isaac, though. 

[Accident Prone]

54 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Basic bitch Candy Crush Soda or Solitare if I am just on a train. If I am at home, been playing a lot of PGA 2K20 as it was the PS Plus game recently and one you can easily zone out the commentary on. 

This was my gateway drug to Everybody's Golf. I fancied something a bit simpler but still with a decent amount of depth, and EG was highly praised by GameSack so I thought "fuck it". Golf is one of those sports that I have no desire to watch, play or follow (hell, I barely understand all the terminology and techniques) but there's something so satisfying about parring a particularly difficult hole (attn: UKFF Out of Context).

46 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

I've actually just bought this game on the Switch sale. I must admit, I'm not typically a fan of deck-building games, but the praise for this one has been so universal, and the price was so reasonable that I've decided to give it a go. Some of the other games you've mentioned leaves me feeling our tastes match up reasonably well, so I'm feeling even more optimistic about it. I've never really gelled with Binding of Isaac, though. 

Slay The Spire was the only deck-building game I'd ever really played, so I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to having a voice on the genre. I've played others since but none are even half as accessible or half as fun as STS. It was never something I thought I'd enjoy but, like yourself, people with tastes very similar to mine enjoyed the hell out of it so I gave it a try during a PS sale. It has that "Just one more go..." factor, which is murderous for sweeping through your spare time.

[RedRooster]

17 hours ago, Accident Prone said:

Slay The Spire was the only deck-building game I'd ever really played, so I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to having a voice on the genre. I've played others since but none are even half as accessible or half as fun as STS. It was never something I thought I'd enjoy but, like yourself, people with tastes very similar to mine enjoyed the hell out of it so I gave it a try during a PS sale. It has that "Just one more go..." factor, which is murderous for sweeping through your spare time.

You're right, it's very addictive. It's very Hades-like in that you feel compelled to keep going. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's a very solid recommendation for anyone who enjoyed Hades, even though it's not an obviously similar game. 

[Chest Rockwell]

Having played and loved both, I'd tend to agree. Can't thank @JLM enough for having introduced me on here to Slay the Spire. I've sunk crazy hours into it and still loving it. I've just started it from scratch again on a new save...