The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast

Samuel Roberts and Matthew Castle

Games media writers Matthew Castle (NGamer, Rock Paper Shotgun) and Samuel Roberts (PC Gamer, gamesTM, TechRadar) talk about video games and their years covering them professionally. Our logo is by John Strike, and our theme tune is by Barry 'Epoch' Topping (@nostoppingepoch on Twitter).

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20 episodes
Updated Friday
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

Friday · 1 hr 23 min
How to Make a Sequel to a Successful Video Game (with Jay Baylis)
How many ideas get saved from the original game when you're making a sequel? Does it cost more money to make a follow-up? How do you make sure an indie sequel doesn't vanish without a trace? Our returning guest Jay Baylis answers these questions while discussing his next game with Bytten Studio, Cassette Beasts 2002. This week's music is from the Cassette Beasts soundtrack by Joel Baylis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 24 · 2 hr 48 min
The Best Games of 1997
Stepping outside our 2000s comfort zone, this week we're sharing our two top 10 lists from 1997 in the first of a new quadrilogy of pods. Expect 1998, 1999 and 2000 episodes in the coming months. This week's music is from The Curse of Monkey Island soundtrack by Michael Land. You can get us, as ever, at backpagegames@gmail.com. Videos referenced in this week's episode: the German bloke touring E3 in Atlanta, Howard Lincoln talking about Rare, Nintendo's Space World, Games World's segment from the Sega booth at E3 1997 and B-roll of the games shown at Space World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 17 · 1 hr 53 min
Mailbag
What if IO Interactive made an Austin Powers game? Which game has been called overrated and underrated so many times that it's now just 'rated'? And why do some big games only get 1-page reviews in magazines? All that and more as we melt to death in the endless UK heatwave. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 10 · 1 hr 32 min
What We've Been Playing (Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, Star Fox, Rhythm Heaven Groove)
Our monthly attempt to make a normal video games podcast. Games played this week: Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, Star Fox, Rhythm Heaven Groove, Duskfade, Super Scram Kitty, Dimhaven - The Lost Source, Virtue and a Sledgehammer (mistakenly referred to by Samuel multiple times as 'Virtue is a Sledgehammer', the buffoon). Here's the thread on naming games by Hannah Flynn, as discussed at the end of this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 3 · 1 hr 55 min
Games Court – Judge Castle Decides Edition
The worst format in podcasting is back, fresh from the Castle Island Backrooms. This time, we've got even more moral conundrums for Judge Castle to figure out. Find the image referenced in this episode here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 26 · 3 hr 4 min
Two Giant Men Play Grand Theft Auto V
Our irregular GTA series reaches its finale with the most recent game in the series: 2013's Grand Theft Auto 5. From the heists to the torture mission, what holds up well in 2026? This week's music is from the GTA 5 soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 19 · 2 hr 37 min
The First-Person Draft (with Jeremy Peel)
10 categories, 30 picks – time for another draft, this time about first-person shooters and related games. Vote for the winner here. We'll update this post with who picked what later today. These are the 10 categories: Single-player shooter Multiplayer shooter Sim (including immersive sim) Game with emphasis on movement or platforming Narrative or horror game Game from the last 5 years RPG Free pick Wild card (has to be below 80 on Metacritic) Game with notable first-person animations (either involving your hands or the faces of other characters) This is the Deus Ex: Invisible War-like game Jeremy referenced during this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 12 · 2 hr
Our 10 Most Anticipated Games from Summer Games Fest 2026
We all survived another week-plus of marketing livestreams! These were our picks of the best upcoming games, including our thoughts on the PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo showcases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 4 · 1 hr 43 min
Mina the Hollower, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight + Mailbag
Bond is done! Now for some other great games that landed in May, plus the new Onimusha demo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 28 · 1 hr 49 min
Two Giant Men Play 007 First Light
It's here – the James Bond game we've been waiting almost six years for! How much Hitman is in First Light? And how successfully does IO borrow from Naughty Dog? We discuss these subjects and many more across almost two hours. We've done our best to keep this episode free of spoilers. You'll hear about none of the major story beats in this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 22 · 2 hr 10 min
Forza Horizon 6, Mixtape, Titanium Court + Mailbag
A What We've Been Playing and Mailbag combo episode, also featuring our own personal versions of a Mixtape-style music compilation. And a profane joke about chimneys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 15 · 2 hr 36 min
The N64 + GameCube Mega Draft
The four-person draft is back! Returning guests Ashley Day and Dave Scarborough fight Samuel and Matthew for the best picks across two beloved Nintendo consoles. And this time, Dave is on the booze (but for your sanity, we cut 30 minutes of drunken monologues out). Vote for the winner in the Discord's Announcements channel. This week's music is from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time soundtrack by Koji Kondo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 1 · 1 hr 32 min
What We've Been Playing (007 First Light, Pragmata, Vampire Crawlers, Tides of Tomorrow, Titanium Court, Replaced)
Matthew played IO's Bond game! Some other games are discussed, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 24 · 1 hr 58 min
The Xbox Live Arcade, PSN and WiiWare Draft
Our first two-person draft in ages! Listen to the picks, then vote for the winner in the announcements channel of the Back Page Discord. This week's music is from the Sonic 4 soundtrack by Jun Senoue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 17 · 2 hr 4 min
Game Design Crimes (with Jamie Smith)
New podcast format time! 10 of our listeners' biggest gripes with games get litigated in a Room 101-style format (except legally distinct), from tailing missions in open world games to mandatory stealth sections in non-stealth games. Joining us once again is designer Jamie Smith! The very last entry was provided by SAFC_Jack91, which Samuel forgot to write down in the original episode plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 10 · 1 hr 33 min
What We've Been Playing (Crimson Desert, PS5 Pro, Tomodachi Life, Raccoin, Returnal, The Ratline)
Is Crimson Desert good? It's complicated, but not quite, according to Matthew Castle. Plus: Samuel apologises profusely for buying a PS5 Pro. Samuel's games: PS5 Pro (Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Rebirth), Returnal, Raccoin Matthew's games: Crimson Desert, Tomodachi Life, The Ratline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 3 · 1 hr 31 min
Mailbag
What Matthew thinks of Crimson Desert, new DLC for old games, how 360-era classics would score now in reviews, dream Helldivers 2 warbonds and more nonsense in the latest mailbag episode. This week's music is from the Deadly Premonition soundtrack by Riyou Kinugasa, Takuya Kobayashi and Hiromi Mizutani. This is the From Russia With Love PS2 clip mentioned in the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 27 · 49 min
Unsung Aspects of Video Game Design (with Emma Kent)
Former Eurogamer reporter Emma Kent is our guest this week! What's it like doing actual journalism, rather than just dropping hot takes about Uncharted and Mario? That's what we ask Emma about in this one. You can sign up for the (free) Eteo Archetypes newsletter discussed in the second half of this week's episode here. This week's music is from the Valheim soundtrack by Patrik Jarlestam. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 20 · 3 hr
The Best Games of 2018
Two top 10 lists from an amazing year for video games. This week's music is from the Tetris Effect soundtrack by Hydelic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 13 · 1 hr 58 min
Becoming Pals with Hideki Kamiya and Other Stories (with Andy Robinson)
VGC's Andy Robinson is this week's guest. Andy discusses his days on PC Zone and CVG, and why he's made the effort to built relationships with Japanese game developers in the last few years. This week's music is from the Yooka-Laylee soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope, David Wise and Steve Burke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.