Player 2's Podcasts

Hosted by Player2.net.au

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Episodes

141

Latest episode

Jul 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Player2.net.au crew get together to talk all things news, games and hot topics in the Australian gaming landscape

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60 recent

August 13, 202655 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 191

One of these days, we're going to stop fretting about the future of videogames. One of these days. But probably not this day. What good we can do, perhaps, is to thumb our noses at the slow progress of English evolution and treat videogame as the compound noun that we all know it should be. Feel better? No? Well... we'll do our best to find a silver lining or two in the actual cast itself. Who is we, you may ask? This one's a Matt and Tim show (as opposed to a Tim and Matt show, we suppose). What does this mean? Well, apparently it means a mix of British politics and Shenmue, as well as an amount of excited talking about a turn-based tactics game. That Star Wars is involved is really just incidental. Games: Replaced, Star Wars: Zero Company Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Under a Leaden Sky by prophetik music, Geoffrey Taucer Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson

July 30, 202659 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 190

Avast! Grog! Other pirate-y sounding terms! While we watch July slide slowly towards August and then the eventual avalanche of new game releases, some of us have decided to take cover on a small island, guarding a giant chest full of shiny trinkets and being perpetually buzzed on watered-down rum. Or, in other words, the remake of Black Flag is still fresh in our memories, so we decided to theme this episode around pirates. Who is the greatest video game pirate (not pirate-er of video games)? Which pirate-y game is most worthy of (delicious, non-invasive) cookies? You won't be surprised that there's no definite answer to either question. We've gone overboard (heh) here and invited on a guest who is perhaps way too qualified to contribute to a topic that is, at its heart, quite silly. Because what could be more appropriate for video games right now than taking something that should be fun and then shattering it with harsh realisations of reality? Games: Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynched, Civilization VI, Yakuza 6 Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Late in the Caribbean by Rozovian Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson Tamsin Paige

July 16, 20261 hr 2 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 189

Occasionally, over the life of the PixelCast, we have been known to revisit topics. There are perennial ones, such as reactions to reward shows and personal GOTY discussions, but occasionally we may dip into a wider pool of discussion for a second time. Usually, there would be at least a couple of years’ space between these. We did a show about horror games back in 2023, and revisited that topic again earlier this year. Maybe horror will become the overarching theme, because for the second time this year we’re recording a show where the basic theme is everything-is-turning-to-shit. If you’ve been following game news, then you’re probably aware that Sony just threw the concept of physical media into the fire, only to be outdone by Xbox working the bellows so that it could keep it burning with a few thousand employees. Tim and Rob, you may not be surprised to learn, aren’t super happy. Games: X-Out: Resurfaced, Denshattack! Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Black Wing Metamorphosis by bLiNd, Fishy, Jillian Aversa, Juan Medrano, Steffan Andrews, Suzumebachi, tefnek Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson

July 2, 202651 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 188

Remember the smell of stale cigarettes and what is probably vomit mostly made up of slushy? The horrible carpet that said vomit had soaked into? The loud clink of machines converting ten and twenty-dollar notes into gold coins? No? Well then, treasure your youth while it lasts. For everyone else, arcade games come with a mix of memories, both of place and of game design itself. Granted, most of Tim’s memories of arcades are really the local fish and chips place and the other entertainment at a bowling ally. Rob, though? We haven’t seen the birth certificate, but there’s a small chance he was actually born in a Timezone. Seeing as most of these places are significantly, shall we say, diminished today, their talk this episode mostly focuses on the sensibilities of arcade game design itself. What made them work, what drew us to them, and how such ideals can survive in the current era. Games: Hyper Detonator, Dark Scrolls Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Autos, Arps & Minimoogs by Txai Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson

June 18, 20261 hr 27 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 187

Another (just about) couple of weeks of games hype has come and gone, and we're left to pick up the pieces. That is to say, to look back at our last predictions episode, where we thought a lot of stuff would get pushed into March or April next year and eat crow as we witnessed September get stuffed to bursting. Tim is back in charge, with Rob and Matt on board to help out as they go through the hype, the bummers and the merely curious. Overall, while it wasn't the best Keigh3 season, it was better than any of us had been expecting. Of course, our reaction to something like Senua (a game that, we can't stress enough, appeared during the Xbox showcase) might have been a little different had we not recorded a day before it became apparent that Microsoft is looking to shut down Ninja Theory, the studio actively developing the game. Well, it was a fun week or two of hype while it lasted. Everything can go back to being terrible again now. Games: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, Promise Mascot Agency, Project X Light Years Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Gerudo Desert Party by Reuben Spiers Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson Matthew Hewson

June 4, 20261 hr 2 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 186

By the time you're listening to this, the internet has probably tied itself into an unspecified, likely very messy and painful knot after having a very normal one about a God of War game where you play as Kratos's (gasp) wife. We didn't know that when we recorded this, though (the specific announcement, that is; people losing their shit we could have safely bet our homes on). But that's half the fun! This is a Summer Game Fest prediction episode where people can happily listen along, red markers in hand. Hewso has the misfortune of being in charge of all the flubbing guesswork, but Tim trips over his tongue a few times to help out. Not Steve, though. That man was born with silver in his mouth. Oh, and despite 2026's best efforts to be a relentless shitshow, everyone has been playing things that they mostly like, too! Games: 007: First Light, Mina the Hollower, Saros Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Wickedest Child by Chickusho Sound Team Cast Matthew Hewson Tim Henderson Stephen del Prado

May 21, 20261 hr 2 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 185

Potatoes! Guinness! Did you know that leprechaun is a really weird and difficult word to spell? Stereotypes! Whatever the case, Tim is back from Ireland where, apparently, the coffee is weak (serious talk, Ireland: we need to address this) and the whiskey* strong (you do you; water of life and all that). In his jet-lagged fugue, he played (and fell in love with) Mixtape. And so, this episode comes as something of the yang to 184’s ying, with games and moments that get by with very low mechanical focus taking centre-stage this time around. Turns out there are quite a few noteworthy examples, enough that he’s able to keep rabbiting on even when Hewso tries to steal his thunder with maybe the most potent and obvious example of all. * As a side note, he also has targeted advertising turned off on YouTube, and yet, somehow, magically, the playlist he was streaming from said site just cut to an ad where a guy is making coffee with whiskey in it. Go and get absolutely fucked with venomous cactus spines, Google. Games: Forza Horizon 6, Mixtape Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: The Touch (guitar cover) by breadhenge Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson

May 7, 20261 hr 3 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 184

There is something to be said for a good gimmick. That one bit of gameplay design that a game can hang its hat on and say, "Hey, isn't this bloody cool?" That is what the team is talking about this week: those gameplay mechanics that have stuck in our heads over the years and left a lasting impression on games in general. From plastic instruments to amazing systems that get patented by evil corporations, the crew of Hewso, Stephen and Rob cast their eye over these mechanics and once again whistfully stare off into the distance thinking about Titanfall 2. Oh, and Tim left us to drink Guinness and Jameson in Ireland, so he left Matt in charge of the edit, which may have been a mistake. Games: Invincible Vs, iRacing Arcade, Aphelion Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Reward the Scars by Korn (From Diablo IV) Cast Matt Hewson Rob Caporetto Stephen del Prado

April 23, 202658 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 183

What if hardware got a bit more powerful, but the production on games visuals didn’t advance far beyond Hollywood’s year of the apocalypse, 2012? As it turns out, we would miss out on some fine-detail advancements and lighting bounces, but things could still look pretty spectacular. That’s what this episode is (or at least starts off being) about. Games that still look fantastic today, be it because of solid art direction, settings that can finally be maxed out on any half-decent PC, or a baseline standard simply having finally being reached. Tim is joined by Matt for this one, which probably makes sense, seeing as this whole thing is at least in part inspired by editor-man’s Blue Sky thread chronicling examples of this very phenomenon. Is it a phenomenon? Does it matter? We’re going to call it one anyway. Games: Pragmata, Batman: Arkham Asylum Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Adventure is in the Air by EmptyMy Cast Matt Hewson Tim Henderson

April 9, 20261 hr 12 min

The Player 2 PixelCast 182

He’s back! After traveling to and from from Heaven knows where, Hewso has reappeared in front of a microphone, ready to record… whatever silly topic we decide to have him record, I guess. That travelling everywhere thing has been hitting Tim as well, though, and so for this episode we’ve decided to focus in a bit on what our favourite games for different travel situations are, and why we think they work so well in said circumstance. Oh, and Rob’s here, too. Just in case you were scared that the Atari Lynx might get neglected (which, to be fair, it kind of does). Of course, we also find some new games (and gadgets) to talk about. What are they? That’s a bit of a mystery as we’re currently on a bit of a lonely island between big releases, so you’ll have to listen to find out (or maybe just scroll down the show notes a bit)! Games: Cleared Hot, Morbid Metal, PX Play Theme Music: Visitors from Dreams by Mathieu Stempell Dma-Sc Break Music: Reunion by about:blank Cast Rob Caporetto Tim Henderson Matt Hewson

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