Full Circle

I'm going to start off by saying that despite the title this blog post has nothing to do with the Xbox360. If your wondering what "Full Circle" is referencing I promise you'll understand by the end. So, what am I getting on about? In a word - Podcasting. It's a new year and I thought I'd begin it with a bit of sharing with regards to five websites that present news on the game industry in a manner that doesn't bore you to tears:

Epic Battle Cry
These three guys are good if you need a pick up, like puns and listen to heavy metal music. Their voices don't grate on your ears. As advertised they give a no bullshit view on things and as a result tend to keep it under an hour. Their spin off podcast (The Axe Factor) isn't nearly as good unfortunately.

This Week in Games
In sharp contrast to the above, this podcast is much more of a downer. The two speakers tend to focus on the business side of the industry though which is what separates them from the pack. Other than that be prepared for a lot of grumbling as well as doom and gloom. Good to listen to if your a cynic or just like getting a weekly dose of pessimism.

Giant Bombcast
Usually four members, this group is pretty diverse in what they like which makes for an interesting spectrum of opinions and view points. They sometimes get distracted by movies, music or food, but even then these diversions can be entertaining in their own right. Expect to spend a lot of time with this colorful crew though because sometimes they go on for two hours or more.

Invisible Walls
The number of people here varies a lot with many guests coming and going on a regular basis. Generally this podcast involves a lot of arguing. Much like a no-holds-barred debate show these guys like to throw down on hot topics and just about any game related controversy they get their hands on. Stupid things are often said, but don't worry people in the comments section make that blatantly clear to anyone who actually cares.

8-4
Unlike the previously mentioned, "8-4" is a biweekly podcast based out of Japan and as such focuses on the Japanese game industry. It also has (surprise!) a girl speaker. Unfortunately she doesn't speak all that much. Partly because she's running the sound board, but more so because I don't think English is her first language. Some of the guys can get tedious to listen to after a while too. That said if you want a decidedly Asian view on the games industry by all means give this a shot.

It's interesting to think that my grandfather and his father before him most likely sat down in front of a radio to listen to discussion programs about sports, politics and the topics of the day. Then with the advent of TV that faded until the emergence of portable MP3 players and the internet. Now, I find myself doing what my ancestors did nearly a century ago. It just goes to show you the more things change the more they stay the same.