So Very Wrong About Games

Pickaxe

A podcast about all manner of hobby games by Mike Walker and Mark Bigney. Bad games don't go easy on you, so we don't go easy on them. Thorough analysis via reviews, news, and discussion of topics in gaming. We take context seriously, we value your time, and we're not into hype. Just because games are fun doesn't mean we can't take them seriously, and just because we take them seriously doesn't mean we can't have fun.

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421 episodes
Updated July 21

Episodes421

Newest first

Feb 8, 2022 · 1 hr 9 min
#200: G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game
The So Very Wrong About Games line of Action Princess Dolls (TM) are coming to a store near you! Thrill to all your favourite characters, like Huey, Dewey, and Louis, each with weird monochromatic accessories and some spring-loaded gimmick that'll...
Feb 1, 2022 · 1 hr 14 min
#199: Trick-Taking Games
No, dear listener, we haven't played that one regional trick-taking game popular in the Adirondacks where the only red card is the 9 of diamonds and you play counter-clockwise and the bid is called in pig latin and you have to wear your socks on your...
Jan 25, 2022 · 1 hr 28 min
#198: 2021 Year in Review
It's a star-studded eleganza extravaganza, featuring your two least-favourite SVWAG hosts giving you an incomplete capsule summary of a terrible year of great games. Of course, they neglected to play That One Game, of course, which means that all...
Dec 28, 2021 · 1 hr 22 min
#197: Ankh: Gods of Egypt
In the 14th Century B.C.E., the pharaoh Akhenaten attempted to shift Egypt into monotheism centered on the cult of the god Aten. Apparently there's some who argue it was possibly instead henotheism, whereby many gods are acknowledged but one is...
Dec 21, 2021 · 1 hr 18 min
#196: Going Off-Script
Some things, of course, from Josie and the Pussycats have aged poorly. The idea of "record stores" and CDs (that could, in turn sell out like they were PS5s or something) is downright quaint--especially given the format of this show. I'm pretty...
Dec 14, 2021 · 1 hr 11 min
#195: Cryo
The hosts are, briefly, back in the same room again, and this has had the unfortunate effect of bringing out the very worst in Mark. Don't worry, he doesn't spend ten minutes complaining about the implied political claims of kids' shows, but his mind...
Dec 7, 2021 · 1 hr 19 min
#194: Our Gaming Autobiographies
We skip over substantial portions of our hosts' stories, of course. No mention is made of Walker's extensive experience with Gilbert & Sullivan. Mark's stint as the Official Pokémon Master of Canada is glossed over. The deep tribal conflict of Jocks...
Nov 30, 2021 · 1 hr 18 min
#193: Praga Caput Regni
We have become feature-hungry here at SVWAG. We debut Walker's Language Corner which, let us be frank, is not apt to be repeated, especially given Walker's aversion to dead languages. We finally name a recurring segment that has been airing...
Nov 23, 2021 · 1 hr 23 min
#192: Event Gaming
One of the great tragic modern misapprehensions of history is the blanching of fascism. It seems that people can watch Attack on Titan and play with their space marines, and simply because there are no swastikas to be found they assume that there are...
Nov 9, 2021 · 1 hr 21 min
#191: Keepers
Sometimes your devotion and enthusiasm doesn't translate into research or comprehensiveness. Case in point, dear listeners--The Legend of Korra, a franchise Walker introduced to Mark, is one that Walker loves but--shocker!--is one he has only seen but...
Nov 2, 2021 · 56 min
#190: Ultimate Railroads
"Planned obsolescence" is not just an economic term, it is a way of life for some companies. It is the practice of deliberately making a sold item frail or of limited use until it is unfashionable; this forces the consumer to replace it sooner than...
Oct 26, 2021 · 1 hr 13 min
#189: Resolving Rules Disputes
This topic was suggested by Penn State law professor Jacob Schuman, although let us be perfectly clear that he does not necessarily endorse any of the views expressed. I mean, if Justices Breyer and/or Alito heard us impugn their oracular insights, no...
Oct 19, 2021 · 1 hr 19 min
#188: Khôra: Rise of an Empire
We are dangerously approaching peak culture here on SVWAG. In addition to Masterpiece Theatre, we have the return of the pie ranking system, plus now music tie-ins for Arkhipov Day. Could a wine section be far behind? Well, actually, Mark labels most...
Oct 5, 2021 · 1 hr 23 min
#187: Multiplayer Solitaire
It was a thrill to have a pan-Anglo alliance together to raise money for Food Banks Canada, with many current or prior Commonwealth countries represented either on the stream or in the donations. That is globalism we can get behind here at SVWAG. That...
Sep 28, 2021 · 1 hr 10 min
#186: Imperium: The Contention
In case you missed it, we have now offered to the series of tubes the definitive website for all your non-porn non-cat needs. Sowronggames.com is your official repository for all things SVWAG, including all of our episodes, editorial policies, the...
Sep 21, 2021 · 1 hr 32 min
#185: What Makes a Game Worth Recommending?
All right, we need to talk about Sokka. Another staple of kid's shows is often The Annoying One. I don't know why, but they're often there. Steven Universe had Ronaldo, but they knew to use him sparingly. Sokka is so aggressively obnoxious in the...
Sep 14, 2021 · 1 hr 8 min
#184: Anno 1800
We have seen the future, and it is now. We have fired up our Netscape Navigator, and interfaced the hypertext protocol over at Geocities, and made us our very own webzone. Maybe soon we'll be able to set up an FTP server for our episodes. We will...
Sep 7, 2021 · 1 hr 22 min
#183: App Assistance
MARCUS BIGNEY Here comes Fantasy Flight's body, mourned by Michael Walker: who, though he had no hand in its death, shall receive the benefit of its dying, a place in the hobby; as which of you shall not? WALKER Friends, gamers, hobbyists, lend me...
Aug 31, 2021 · 1 hr 23 min
#182: Soldiers in Postmen's Uniforms
Cultural gaps can be quite tragic, to say nothing of socially debilitating. Mark discovers to his horror that Walker is unfamiliar both with a key game and a crucial character in film history. Thank goodness that this faux pas does not sully...
Aug 24, 2021 · 1 hr 28 min
#181: Bluffing
I used to tell a joke about Heimdall, but it was pretty horny. I used to tell a joke about Osiris, but it fell to pieces. I used to tell a joke about Venus, but it was masturbatory. I used to tell a joke about Sleipnir, but it didn't have legs. I used...