Hideo Kojima, still operating from whatever alternate dimension he storyboards from, recently ventured into the realm of dermatological critique. In a statement that somehow manages to sound both vaguely scientific and potentially well... you know. He explained that rendering young Asian faces in video games is uniquely difficult—because their skin is, and I quote, "too smooth".

Apparently, the motion capture apparatus recoils in terror when confronted with unblemished skin. No pores, no realism. It’s the equivalent of trying to paint fog with a ballpoint pen. Kojima assured us it’s not a matter of preference, of course. Just cold, hard technical limitation. Hyperrealism, it seems, demands imperfection—freckles, crags, battle scars from a long war with acne—anything, really, to give the algorithms something to cling to.

Fortunately, Kojima believes the machines are catching up. Death Stranding 2 reportedly overcomes this epidermal obstacle with actress Shioli Kutsuna, who managed to possess both the requisite skin and, presumably, a face. He even suggested future games might feature more Japanese actors—or get this—be set in Japan. A startling revelation, given his long-standing aversion to making games not featuring American landscapes populated by philosophical postmen.

In the end, Kojima's comments offer an unexpected detour into what might charitably be called accidental ethnographic theory—or less charitably, the kind of thing you’d say right before the PR team dives across the table to cut the mic.

• Phil Fogg

Episode 174 of The Game Under Podcast sees Tom Towers and Phil Fogg gingerly pry open the scuffed jewel case of gaming’s present and past. From the unceremonious drop of Mindseye, a title that dares you to remember it post-credits, to the cyclical absurdity of “a new Xbox is... just an Xbox,” the duo effortlessly glides between critique and curiosity. Fogg, with his signature dry affection for chaos, wrestles with Nintendo’s ongoing PR acrobatics, while Tom indulges in a geriatric deep-dive into Minecraft, lumbering through digital dirt with the grace of an arthritic creeper. Their delightfully unfiltered exploration of Vampire Survivors leads to a ruminative spoiler-filled excavation of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. And just as the embers die down, Fogg ignites the sacred console debate—PS3, Xbox 360, Wii—with the forensic obsession of a man who’s played Nier on all three.

Thanks for listening

• Phil

It’s difficult to overstate how thoroughly Monster Train disoriented me. What I assumed would be a straightforward deck-builder quickly revealed itself as something stranger—less an express ride to mechanical clarity and more a plodding crawl through a baroque, three-tiered purgatory. I placed units like I was obeying some forgotten instinct from other games. The enemies, unbothered by my ignorance, politely bypassed my efforts and torched the Pyre with the casual entitlement of squatters.

The relics, meanwhile, offered boons couched in ambiguity, collecting them like outdated software updates. Each clan suggested an arcane logic beneath its aesthetic, a synergy I hadn’t yet deciphered, as though I were building a machine whose manual was printed in another language. Still, it was all strangely compelling. Monster Train is clearly dense with intent. I could feel it, like when you enter a room and sense there’s a conversation happening just outside your earshot. I don’t understand it yet. I feel as though I am a passenger on a train without a ticket and I am looking over my shoulder nervously waiting for the conductor to ask, “Tickets Please!”.

-Phil Fogg

This week we have hands-on impressions of the Switch 2 then talk about the latest video game news that came out of Summer Games Fest, Princess Peach’s Firing and Leslie Benzies perpetual motion machine. Finally, we talk about Microsoft’s handheld console strategy and a feature that discusses the best console of the PS4/XBOne/ Wii U era.

Thanks for listening,

Phil Fogg

In this episode Tom and Phil go over the latest video game news, give impressions of Doom the Dark Ages, Clair Obscure, our selection of the best gaming format of the current generation and so much more with a return of some Trademark Banter segments.

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• Phil Fogg

In this episode we discuss the latest video game news including the Xbox price hikes, delayed launch of GTA6 and the implications and an interesting story about how former Sony Head of Global Studio jokingly stated that he "saved" Gran Turismo. We then give impressions of the hottest game of the moment Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. Phil gives impressions of Mice Maze a new bullet heaven roguelite as well as closing his impressions on Case of the Golde Idol Finally we answer a listener's question about boats. It's fascinating.

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Phil Fogg

In this episode Tom and Phil discuss the weeks news, including more Switch 2 controversy, and Microsoft’s remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. We then give our impression of the Blue Prince, a game that many are putting on the top of their GOTY lists. Tom dabbled with the Oblivion remaster and after last episode Phil decided to play The Case of the Golden Idol and tell Tom exactly what he thinks about it.

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• Phil Fogg

Tom and Phil return to host Australia’s longest running video game podcast and talk over the latest video game news including Nintendo Switch 2 details, the return of Game Informer and the BAFTA most influential game poll. We also talk about the games we think are the most influential before going on to give our reviews of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, There is No Game, and the Case of the Golden Idol.

Finally, we revisit the How It All Started segment where we talk about the most relevant games in successful franchises, like Super Mario, Doom, Call of Duty, The Elder Scrolls and more.

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• Phil Fogg

Phil Fogg carries the podcast on his week aging back, while our foreign correspondent, Tom Towers is “on assignment”. I break down the industry changing news of the week and get around to sharing my impressions of two very good games that I have not been able to get to on recent show, CtrlMovie’s Late Shift and Thunder Lotus’s 2020 critical darling, Spiritfarer.

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• Phil Fogg

In this episode Tom and Phil talk about the state of Valve, Indy Jones and the Great Circle, the news and a hotly anticipated review of Doki Doki Literature Club as well as a conversation about Doki Doki Literature Club.

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Phil Fogg

The boys are back in town with Season 12 of the Game Under Podcast. This time we talk about Indiana Jones, Pentiment, Switch 2, Edge Magazine’s Top 10 of 2024 and a whole lot of news.

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• Phil Fogg

In our last episode of 2024, we revisit a fun and short visit with some of our quizzes from the last few years. Tom and I hope you are enjoying some time off and with friends and family.

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Phil Fogg

Phil reviews the Steam Deck, now that it has finally come to Australia.

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In this episode Tom Towers and Phil Fogg go over the latest video game news and talk about the games they’ve been playing including STALKER 2, Call of Duty: Balck Ops 6, Balatro, Crimson Diamond and the game launcher application LaunchBox.

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• Phil Fogg

Last Week Tom attended the RMIT VEGA Games and Animation Expo that showcased the graduates of one of Australia’s leading video game development colleges. We talk about Chipea by Loomi, Who Taught These Police to Drive by Feltlike, Reflection of Atheria by Nyanko Nekomi, Burnout Bakery by KeonDC, Enjoy a Treat by Bo-Rui Lin, A Highly Sensitive Experience by Hin Long (Daniel) Yiu, Blood Legacy by Josephine Putri, Dance Dance Deception by Lou Fourie, Coffin Room by Kay Kwan and Lam Le, Sea Blindness by Peng Yu Jeong as well as the Quest 3, the history and current state of Australian game development and the latest news.

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• Phil Fogg

For Halloween, this episode we take a deep dive (:lol:) into some spooky games that The Chinese Room (Makers of Dear Ester) had some direct or indirect influence on including Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and SOMA. We also discuss UFO 50 before going into a special feature, How it All Started where we talk about seminal games in major franchises.

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• Phil Fogg

This week we talk about Halo, Bungie, 343 Industries, Nintendo’s Alarm Clock and listener e-mails. We also review Open Roads, You Suck at Parking and Still Wakes the Deep. And an exhausting story from Tom.

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• Phil Fogg

As a complement to our last episode, in our usual “off week” I put together a bonus episode with Tom’s review of A Plague Tale: Innocence from a few years ago.

Thanks for listening,

• Phil Fogg.

This episode Tom and Phil talk about Sony’s Playstation 5 Pro and other self-inflicted wounds, Gearbox comparing themselves to The Beatles, and also talk about our playthroughs of Disco Elysium, Baldur’s Gate 3, Still Wakes the Deep (the new game from the makers of Dear Esther) and A Plague Tale: Innocence.

Thanks for listening.

• Phil Fogg

In episode 150 of the Game Under Podcast Tom and I explored Roblox and found it to be a generally creative and positive gaming experience. This week the Roblox Innovation Awards were held, here are the winners, which I’ll place here as a resource to enable future exploration.

Best Shooter Experience

• Arsenal from ROLVe - WINNER

• HELLMET from Mi gato Creations

• Gunfight Arena from Splitting Point

• Guts & Blackpowder from Fuze Studios

Best Education Experience

• Lua Learning from Torpedo Software

• LLC Math Difficulty Chart Obby! From Smilish

• Build a Rocket vs. Mark Rober from

• Big League Jams Word Bomb from OMG - WINNER

Best Obby Experience

• Obby But You’re On a Bike from Fortune 777

• Altitorture [2 Player Obby] from Matrix Entertainment

• Tower of Hell from YXCeptional Studios - WINNER

• Flood Escape 2 from Crazyblox Games

Best Action - RPG

• Blox Fruits from Gamer Robot - WINNER

• Deepwoken fromMonad Studios

• Dungeon Quest! from RPG Adventure Voldex

• World // Zero Dungeons & RPG Adventure from Twin Atlas

Best Strategy Experience

• Anime Defenders from Small World Games

• A Dusty Trip from Splitting Point

• Tower Defense Simulator from Paradoxum Games

• The Strongest Battlegrounds from Yielding Arts - WINNER

Best Racing Experience

• Car Dealership Tycoon

• Driving Empire from Voldex

• Drive World Drifting & Racing from Twin Atlas

• Car Crushers 2 from Car Crushers Group - WINNER

Best Roleplay/Life Sim

• Adopt Me from Uplift Games

• Berry Ave from Amberry Games

• Brookhaven from Wolfpaq Games - WINNER

• Welcome to Bloxburg